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Showing posts with label post-hardcore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post-hardcore. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

JAWBOX

JAWBOX
JAWBOX (1996)
320 KBPS

Aside from slicker production from John Agnello and more direct lyrics, not much separates Jawbox's only non-transitional record from For Your Own Special Sweetheart. It could be argued that the band could have gotten a little too comfortable playing together or just plain too damn skilled. At times it sounds so effortless that you wonder if they could have sleepwalked their way through the recording. Granted they never sound as if the passion isn't there, but the clean, dirt-free production might detract from that to a casual listener's ears. The band's arrangements are just as strong as ever, perhaps more so. But another issue is an apparent too-worked-over nature. Were overdubbed acoustic guitars really needed? Were all those additional layers really necessary? They sound like a kid who breezes through an anatomy exam, finishing half an hour before anyone else — the kid decides to stay at his desk and scribble the internal organs of a nurse shark, rather than risk the embarrassment of looking like such a smarty-pants to the rest of the class.
More frustrating than anything else was that the slicker-sounding record left no impact on modern rock radio. But then again, just how many Top 40 hits deal with topics like all the B.S. and fake national pride U.S. students are fed in their history classes? And how many times do you hear a song with schizo time signatures and a chorus that goes something like "Take the big man down/Forktie/Chump crown"? It's no "Semi-Charmed Life," after all. Though this sadly ended up being the band's swan song, there really was no way for the band to top themselves. No point in going back to college when you graduated magna cum laude.

1. Mirrorful
2. Livid
3. Iodine
4. His Only Trade
5. Chinese Fork Tie
6. Won't Come Off
7. Excandescent
8. Spoiler
9. Desert Sea
10. Empire of One
11. Mule/Stall
12. Nickel Nickel Millionaire
13. Capillary Life
14. Absenter
15. Cornflake Girl (Tori Amos cover)

Saturday, March 27, 2010

MADE OUT OF BABIES

MADE OUT OF BABIES
THE RUINER (2008)
320 KBPS

This is the third album for Brooklyn's Made Out Of Babies. It was recorded in guitarist Brendan Tobin's studio and features guest appearances from keyboardist Jason Watkins (Mouth of the Architect) and bassist Greg Burns (Pedal Steel, Red Sparowes).
The Ruiner is a very unique and compelling CD. Heavy and oppressive doomy riffs give way to quirky and mellow acoustic sections, and then take off again. To describe it as experimental doesn't really fit, because even though there are some very unusual and strange things going on, Made Out Of Babies knows exactly where they are going.
Made Out Of Babies has the ability to play challenging music that is unsettling and dissonant, but know the exact moment to pull back into something melodic and less intense. Doing it that way gives the listener a better opportunity to absorb everything going on in each song.
Julie Christmas is an extremely versatile vocalist. She can croon quietly and smoothly, sing with intensity and passion, and scream and caterwaul with power and raw emotion. She's a powerhouse, and her style and charisma demand your attention. The Ruiner is not a CD that's easily digested. It is challenging listen that make take a while to fully comprehend, but it's well worth the effort.

1. Cooker
2. Grimace
3. Invisible Ink
4. The Major
5. Buffalo
6. Bunny Boots
7. Stranger
8. Peew
9. How To Get Bigger

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

NO KNIFE

NO KNIFE
RIOT FOR ROMANCE! (2002)
320 KBPS

As striking and original as Jawbox's Grippe, Fugazi's The Argument, and the Mars Volta's Tremulant EP, No Knife truly comes into its own with Riot for Romance!, the San Diego band's fourth album. Passionately crossing Wire, Gang of Four and the Clash, Riot for Romance! proves the band to be a worthy successor to the much-lauded At the Drive-In. The record begins with the angular title track, a stunning and previously unheard-of juxtaposition of post-punk and reggae — perhaps No Knife's best song — that evokes the brilliance of the Clash without ever sounding the least bit derivative. "Permanent for Now" is a wailing and off-kilter, oddly uplifting tune that sounds like no other. "Swinging Lovers" has a manic guitar edge that beautifully recalls early-'90s punk. By the time the album reaches its fifth track, the simple, fragile love song "Feathers and Furs," it's clear that No Knife has escaped all of the genre labels previously heaped upon it, standing out as a spectacular and uncompromising rock & roll band by anyone's standards.

1. Riot for Romance!
2. Permanent for Now
3. Swinging Lovers
4. Parting Shot
5. Feathers and Furs
6. The Red Bedroom
7. Brush Off
8. May I Call You Doll?
9. Flechette
10. This Moonlife

Thursday, February 18, 2010

THE WHITE OCTAVE

THE WHITE OCTAVE
MENERGY (2001)
320 KBPS

Artsy post-hardcore, The White Octave give the tired genre a breath of fresh air, keeping the intensity and purity of the sound, while adding an emo and experimental twist to it. The White Octave are the type of band that takes chances, not afraid to rip into bloody screams and hardcore rage before pulling out and whipping up some quiet, yet equally as powerful sounds to blow your mind. This is a record that will captivate and become one of your favorites.

1. The Constant Is Zero
2. Splashed Into Serpents
3. Animal Chin
4. La Vista
5. Wait
6. The House Is Flatlined
7. Powerlines
8. Move in Time
9. Weight
10. Menstrumental

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

BLUETIP

BLUETIP
POLYMER (2000)
320 KBPS

From the chiming, shimmery guitar riff that opens the album to the slo-burn build of the final track, it has become evident that Bluetip has evolved into one of Washington, D.C.'s best and brightest bands. Over the course of two albums for Dischord, Bluetip has successively ratcheted up its melodic sensibility without compromising any of its aggressive edge or musical complexity, and Polymer, the band's third, proves to be a certifiable rock & roll gem. Despite the loss of founding guitarist Dave Stern, Bluetip maintains all of its six-string might thanks to new member Brian Clancy and the ever-impressive guitarist/singer Jason Farrell. The two weave twisting, punky riffs with intricate leads and overlays injected throughout; all the while, Farrell's voice, which has comfortably settled somewhere between a sneer and a croon, protests and muses over the human condition. Dave Bryson retains an erratic but disciplined control in his drum work; the songs are peppered with deft fills that highlight every crescendo within the songs. Mainstay Jake Kump brings his formidable bass talents to the fore yet again, this time with an even bigger presence than on previous albums. Bluetip has always had style and swagger to spare, so it's the songs that really mark this record as a progression for the band. Amidst a rousing, anthemic chorus, "Polymer" questions our future and it's instability, while "New Shoe Premonition" slowly constructs layers of sound until it breaks into a downright pretty chorus. "Don't Punch Your Friend (For Being Slow)" seems like a standard punker until Farrell leaps into an uplifting, melodious refrain. All in all, it's tough to find a bum track; on Polymer, Bluetip pushes the boundaries for both the band itself and for all melodic hardcore into wondrous new terrain.

1. Polymer
2. New Young Residents
3. New Shoe Premonition
4. Stereo Tinnitus
5. Getting In
6. Magnetified
7. Astigmatic
8. Don't Punch Your Friend (For Being Slow)
9. Anti-Bloom
10. Broke the Lease
11. Untitled Track

Friday, February 12, 2010

TIDAL

TIDAL
MOMENT (2001)
320 KBPS

Whatever you're going to call these 7 songs, it will be anything but average. This is not just an-other trendy emo-screamo-hardcore band. El colectivo TIDAL manages to ban 30 minutes of music on this disc in a blend so unique and touching that you can't just ignore it. The mixture makes this so special. Calm parts reminding of lying on a lonely beach in the Caribbean are interrupted by nervously driving riffs, and from time to time the vocalist starts to sing and the guitars play melodies so urgent and touching that you'll be left entirely stripped and exhausted after listening. All bands you could come up with as comparisons could never even closely describe the complexity of this piece of music. That said, if you like the bands that created the genre of Emo-HC in the mid 90s, and those with the Spock haircuts, you shall like this too.

1. A Dancer's Smile
2. Elcol.
3. Hunger Trotz & Lüge
4. Kälte
5. Moment
6. The Cycle
7. We Are Out Of Step

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

QUETZAL

QUETZAL
DEAD END TRACKS (2001)
320 KBPS

QUETZAL was a Belgian post-hardcore band active in the late 90s and early 00s. After a loud and powerful debut album, the band evolved into something more melodic and diverse using cello, acoustic guitars and violin on Dead End Tracks and building a new sound which was clearly influenced by formations such as Neurosis, The Ex or even Godspeed You! Black Emperor while remaining true to their roots. Dead End Tracks is a good album and the only reason why the band's reputation didn't grow bigger is probably the small label on which it was released and the origin of the band. Yet, this remains a beautiful lesson into melodic violence that smartly allies finesse and aggression.

1. Touch
2. Happy Song
3. Dead End Trip
4. Focused Blindness
5. Let Them In
6. Prejudice Panic
7. Ceren
8. Party Of Ruin
9. Thought I Was Counting

Monday, February 1, 2010

SPARTA

SPARTA
WIRETAP SCARS (2002)
320 KBPS

Sparta's debut EP showed promise, but Wiretap Scars is a sound reward. It fills the void where At the Drive-In was with focused post-hardcore frazzle, leaving the relentless experimentation to Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez in Mars Volta and focusing instead on a terse melodic sense. Wiretap Scars is accessible, but on Sparta's own terms. "Mye" and "Cataract" return from the EP; the reflective "Echodyne Harmonic" has been more fully realized. "Mye" especially reveals the influence of Fugazi's mastery of tension and release on Sparta, from the Ian MacKaye-style righteousness of Jim Ward's vocal — "This time I'll get it right/You can't defend it, it's predetermined" — to the song's controlled fuse volatility. Taken with the shouty "Cut Your Ribbon" and the barbed guitars of "Rx Coup" and "Red Alibi," there's enough ATDI blood boil in Sparta to keep fans of the old stuff interested. But Ward, guitarist Paul Hinojos, drummer Tony Hajjar, and bassist Matt Miller like melody with their rage, as the incredible break at the end of "Coup" proves. They're also able to shift gears fluidly. "Harmonic" is tinged with piano, and "Glasshouse Tarot" drifts through moody dynamics before intersecting with its chorus, an urgent blast close to Jawbox or Friction. Scars could use the occasional sharpening on both ends of its sound. But it never hides where it's coming from, and often puts its lance into gristly, rewarding hooks. Wiretap Scars is certainly what's come after. But with their first full-length, Sparta define just what's driving them.

1. Cut Your Ribbon
2. Air
3. Mye
4. Collapse
5. Sans Cosm
6. Light Burns Clear
7. Cataract
8. Red Alibi
9. Rx Coup
10. Glasshouse Tarot
11. Echodyne Harmonic
12. Assemble the Empire

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

NINE DAYS WONDER

NINE DAYS WONDER
THE SCENERY IS IN DISGUISE THERE (2000)
320 KBPS

Coming from Japan, Nine Days Wonder are heavily influenced by the loud and thundering post-punk that swarms music in the United States. No doubt this sound is somewhat less prevalent in the group's hometown of Tokyo, Japan. The quartet cites such bands as Shotmaker, Unwound, and The Jesus Lizard as pivotal influences to their current sound, and it shows. But just as there's quite a bit of geographic distance between this band and their influences, musically lots has changed in the translation, making them quite enjoyable and unique.
On their debut album, Scenery Is In Disguise There, driving, layered, and melodic rock suddenly gives way to pounding wallops by the rhythm section and shrieking vocals making it an enjoying if demanding listening experience for all post-hardcore fans.

1. Reminder
2. Stuck
3. Lossleader
4. Voiceprint
5. Magnet
6. The Flock Soars
7. Return to Sender
8. Hollow Inside
9. New Ways to See the World

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

JR EWING

JR EWING
THE PERFECT DRAMA (2002)
320 KBPS

Norway's premier indierock/hardcore band met all expectations that people created after their now to be considered classic debut album “Calling in dead”. “The perfect drama” CD rocks harder than their previous work. Still walking the fine line of energy fueled indie/rock and raw punk assault JR EWING set the new standards in the European underground. “The perfect drama” takes a step in the direction towards The MURDER CITY DEVILS or AT THE DRIVE IN without sounding washed out. JR EWING are constantly touring with names such as PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, THE LOCUST, DAS OATH, TURBO NEGRO, THE MARS VOLTA. As different as all these bands are, JR EWING manages to cross over to all these crowds.

1. 1st Class Suicide
2. The Ludovico Technique
3. A Case Of Evacuation
4. Untitled
5. Delicate Checkout
6. Nickels For (Your) Pity
7. Lights On, Stereo

Monday, January 25, 2010

LES SAVY FAV

LES SAVY FAV
THE CAT AND THE COBRA (1999)
320 KBPS

The Cat and the Cobra is an excellent collection of songs written over the better part of 1999. With the departure of original drummer Pat Mahoney, Les Savy Fav, in 1999 welcomed college pal and former Hellbender drummer Harrison Haynes. Haynes brough a freshness to the band that created, I think, the perfect chemistry that the Fav have been looking. The Cat and the Cobra is a blend of familiar sounds that reminisce the Pixies, Rye Coalition and the DC punk movement. The Fav are no strangers to the studio, and with help from Brooklynite Nicholas, they mastered the perfect stew of sounds. Guitarist Seth Jabour and bassist Syd Butler(founder of French kiss)write the perfect, quintasential parts making the music both melodic and at times experimental.

1. The Orchard
2. We'Ve Got Boxes
3. Who Rocks the Party
4. Wake Up!
5. Roadside Memorial
6. Dishonest Don Part I
7. Dishonest Don Part II
8. The End
9. This Incentive
10. Reformat
11. Titan

Saturday, January 23, 2010

BURNING AIRLINES

BURNING AIRLINES

MISSION: CONTROL (1999)
320 KBPS

After Jawbox's amicable split in 1997, frontman J. Robbins and guitarist Bill Barbot teamed up with ex-Government Issue drummer, Pete Moffett, to form Burning Airlines, with Barbot switching from guitar to bass duties. Mission: Control! the band's debut album, brilliantly channels Robbins' pop sensibilities through muscular hardcore riffs with insistent, rhythmic foundations. With its seamless, dynamic shifts, thick riffs and killer melody, "3 Sisters" epitomizes the transition away from Jawbox's clipped, angular post-punk and onto a much more open-ended playing field. Barbot's bass work is a big surprise; Jawbox bassist Kim Coletta always rattled off cool melodies, but Barbot has a sharper and more intuitive sense of placement. His rubber-band lines do the dirty work on the slick "Wheaton Calling," and tug on Robbins' riffs like a magnet in "Pacific 231." Jawbox's music had begun to incorporate a greater range of moods by its final album, and Burning Airlines finds Robbins' melodies highly effective in a variety of settings: insanely catchy punk-pop ("Pacific 231"), furious Nirvana-esque rock ("Sweet Deals on Surgery" and head-spinning opener, "Carnival") and arty dissonance ("I Sold Myself In," the intelligently weird "Crowned"). "Scissoring" is the album's standout cut, with its wicked harmonic riff, bad-ass bassline and thrashy second-half. With rarely a dull or unoriginal moment, Mission: Control! is a very promising start to life after Jawbox.

1. Carnival
2. Wheaton Calling
3. Pacific 231
4. Scissoring
5. The Escape Engine
6. My Pornography
7. Meccano
8. 3 Sisters
9. Flood of Foreign Capital
10. Crowned
11. Sweet Deals on Surgery
12. I Sold Myself In

IDENTIKIT (2001)
320 KBPS

BURNING AIRLINES's second effort IDENTIKIT, is a cool mix of punk, pop, and rock that is both inventive and crisply original. Great harmonies mesh sweetly with cruchy guitar, distorted bass, and metronomicly askew drums to create short, punchy songs that are both complex and easy on the ears. This is one band who knows how to rock with authority and both CDs in their arsenal are highly recommended. Way better than anything mainstream, this is one act who have a true identity and they have wrapped it up for you in a nice little kit.

1. Outside The Aviary
2. Morricone Dancehall
3. A Lexicon
4. A Song With No Words
5. All Sincerity
6. The Surgeon's House
7. The Deluxe War Baby
8. Everything Here Is New
9. Paper Crowns
10. Blind Trial
11. Identikit
12. Election Night Special
13. Tastykake
14. Earthbound
15. Dear Hilary

Friday, January 22, 2010

THE CROWNHATE RUIN

THE CROWNHATE RUIN
UNTIL THE EAGLE GRINS (1996)
320 KBPS

The Crownhate Ruin were formed immediately after the demise of Hoover in 95. With Fred Erskine on Bass and Joseph P. McRedmond on guitar and vocals and Vin Novara from 1.6 band on drums. The sound is pretty much the same as Hoover, with the record starting off with one of those fat funky Erskine basslines. Some of the passages are more drawn out, giving the band room to explores some of the terrain that Hoover savagely broke through.
Probably the most crucial, as well as earliest, of the post-Hoover full length albums, 1996's Until The Eagle Grins is a pure beast of a post-hardcore record.

1. Ride Your Ride
2. Late Arriving Rock Dudes
3. Stretched Too Thin
4. In The Four Years To Come
5. Every Minutes Sucker
6. Tornado Season Finale
7. Better Still If They Don't Know
8. Piss Alley
9. You Will Wish Me Dead
10. Blood Relative

Friday, January 15, 2010

NO KNIFE

NO KNIFE
FIRE IN THE CITY OF AUTOMATONS (1999)
320 KBPS

With Chris Prescott as the new drummer and Greg Wales handling production in place of Trombino, on Fire in the City of Automatons, No Knife would seem to be wanting a fresh start all around, though it's more a logical extension of where the band's been. In ways, though, the band has never sounded more immediately radio-friendly — and that's not an insult. There's something about the choppy but never spastic flow of songs like "Academy Flight Song" (with an obvious titular and subtly musical nod to Mission of Burma) which makes good driving music, propulsive and cleanly powerful. Overall, meanwhile, there's a sense — almost indefinable, but still present — of trying for the post-punk soar and sound of American bands like For Against, the Curtain Society, and 12 Rods. It's not only in the guitars, but in the way Mitch Wilson's voice, which shows ever more control and subtlety as the years go by, sings in a strong but not testosterone-laden way while also avoiding shrill shrieks. Meanwhile, the music shows the powerfully sorrowful side of the band like never before, whether it's the slow groove of "The Spy" (Brian Desjean and Prescott in particular deserve some credit on this one, while Ryan Ferguson's piano is a fine extra touch) or the equally captivating film noir shades of "Under the Moon," Wilson's singing often at his quietest yet most direct. The really wonderful "Minus One" not only shows off one of Wilson's best lead vocals yet, but is shot through with a swinging, epic rhythm mixed with just enough melancholic guitar chime. There's still enough out-of-nowhere rhythm section shifts to remind one of the earlier band — check out "Heavy Weather" or "Angel Bomb," the weird radio-signal guitar on the verses in particular being a strange, captivating touch.

1. Academy Flight Song
2. Minus One
3. Secret Handshake
4. Heavy Weather
5. K-214
6. The Spy
7. Charming
8. Angel Bomb
9. Short Term Memory
10. Under The Moon
11. Mission Control
12. If It Moves Kiss It

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

RED ANIMAL WAR

RED ANIMAL WAR
BLACK PHANTOM CRUSADES (2002)
320 KBPS

Rich with innovation, intensity and complex songwriting, BLACK PHANTOM CRUSADES represents a flawless mixture of art and math. Unpredictable and aggressive yet never out of control, Red Animal War pulls, screams and claws at the heart of guitar-driven rock as if they had just one last chance to save it. Multi-layered patchworks of instrumentation, intricate start-stop dynamics and sharply written melodies characterize the somehow seamless flow of each song on this amazing sophomore release. Wrapped with smart lyrics that venture far beyond the domain of broken hearts, lead singer Justin Wilson understands that words can hit as hard as any instrument. The rhythm section is so driving and the guitar play so tricky. Whether the power of BLACK PHANTOM CRUSADES comes from its creativity, its vast depth of dynamics, its technical skill or its incredible performance, Red Animal War comes out on top...swinging, invincible and hard-hitting as ever. This is a tremendous accomplishment, a victory to say the least. It's that good, maybe even better.

1. Still
2. When Fat Pigs Fly
3. Straight Lines For Construction Workers
4. Making Zealots
5. When I Get The Feelin' (Back In My Hands)
6. The Day After Yesterday
7. Mouse
8. And So It Begins With Bombs
9. Gattaca
10. Photel California
11. Jambalaya
12. Right Now, Today, I Don't Believe In Hell

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

MONOCHROME

MONOCHROME
LASER, VIEW FROM THE EXTERIOR (2003)
320 KBPS

Monochrome, from Stuttgart Germany is a band that's been active from the late 90s to the mid 00s forming out of the ashes of the hardcore band Dawnbreed. Their sound operates on different musical and ideological influences. Combining the intensity of punk with the easiness of Scandinavian Pop and the profundity of jazz, Monochrome have their unique and distinctive identity - expressed in a style, that is authentic, clear, purist and contemporary. The instrumentation of their songs varies from fragile instrumental duos to the complete Monochrome force, which is in action most of the time: two voices, one female, one male; two guitars, one horizontal, one diagonal; bassguitar, drums, and some electronics.
Musically this blew me away, prepare to be rocked.

1. Cabin
2. Kontern
3. Après l'Amour
4. Turismoid
5. Supervisor.
6. Electrifier/Laser
7. Analog und Ehrlich
8. Replika
9. Unique

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

HINT versus EZ3KIEL

HINT versus EZ3KIEL
COLLISION TOUR (2009)
320 KBPS

Ez3kiel loves to experiment. After a successfull tour with belgian band DAAU (accordion, sax, clarinette...), they create a new entity with the merging of their band and avant-garde/post-noise rockers of Hint for a few live shows and, now, the celebration of yet another project well done with this live album.
Of the 9 shows the bands played together, two have been recorded and filmed: St Etienne and Angers (where Hint comes from). For the audience, it was a chance to witness a unique experience as well as to catch up with Hing which hadn't tour for ten years.
Though it's clear the cinematic-dub/indie electronica of EZ3KIEL and the intelligent noise assaults of HINT are very different, the two band share enough artistry to make it works beyond expectations.
The set is, in all logic, composed of compositions from the two band's repetertoires and it's amazing to see how coherent and graceful it is. So, if you like your brain to endure the sweet tortures of this über-intelligent noise/dub/electronica mix, you're in for a real treat. Anyway, I think every music enthusiast owes it to himself to try what is one of the best releases of 2009.

1. 100% White Puzzle
2. Via Continum
3. Beautiful Old Betty
4. Wagma
5. Mr. Investigator
6. Chinatown
7. The Weeding
8. Flexible
9. Versus
10. Eyes In Axis
11. Volfoni'S Revenge
12. Firedamp

Thursday, December 3, 2009

TOMORROW

TOMORROW
2 EPS (1997 & 1999)
320 KBPS
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Tomorrow belongs to a time when post-hardcore was something of a rising genre. Though a quality band, Tomorrow remained confidential and only released a handful of EPs before vanishing. These two eps, released on No Idea and Schematics records, display a classy brand of post-hardcore by these apt Floridian punksters. A must try for anyone into post-hardcore.
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THE INDUSTRY OF NATURAL OCCURENCE (1997)
1. Lead Halo
2. One Fell Swoop
3. Idaho
4. The Song of Songs
BUILD A BRAND NEW SKY (1999)
1. Kill the Messenger
2. Our Crowning Moment
3. Right as Rain
4. (Greater Than) The Sum of Your Parts
5. What the Sky Says Goes
6. Overture

Friday, November 27, 2009

ATOMBOMBPOCKETKNIFE

ATOMBOMBPOCKETKNIFE
GOD SAVE THE ABPK (2001)
320 KBPS

At their best, the Atombombpocketknife consists of sonic grooving indie rock layered with effectsy, Sonic Youth-ish vocal styles and Future of What-era Unwound-style guitar work and patterns. An album with solid drive, mathy but not too complex, and just enough rough edges to keep it interesting. College rock with the Chicago edge watered down to something a bit more easy to swallow.

1. A Room Full Of Perfect People
2. Like A Laser
3. Gamma Rays Forever
4. Scan Dramatics
5. The Methadone Actors
6. Pair Of Evil
7. Tripwire Tonight
8. Transfusion Infinity
9. This Dixie Crash/That Whiskey World
10. Violet Encryptions (We Only Move Backwards)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

THE ICARUS LINE

THE ICARUS LINE
MONO (2001)
320 KBPS

The similarities between the Icarus Line and another Southern California hardcore band, Drive Like Jehu, are hard not to miss on Mono. While Drive Like Jehu has disbanded, these two bands still share much in common. Both have speedy guitars that can break down into melodies and then burst out of the gates at the drop of a hat. Both have throaty, screamed vocals and odd song titles, with the Icarus Line's "Feed a Cat to Your Cobra" quite possibly being the weirdest. While it may take a while for many music fans to distinguish differences between the two acts, they do exist. The Icarus Line has an extreme fetish with feedback, which they display on such songs as "In Lieu" and "SPMC," yet surprisingly they do it in an almost appealing way. While creating an almost sexy, intoxicating mood in many of their pieces, the Icarus Line are also capable of gearing into a destructive, anxious hardcore. Whether live or on this album, the Icarus Line are going back to the basics of rock & roll and destroying quite a bit along the way.

1. Love Is Happiness
2. You Make Me Nerevous
3. L.O.S.T.
4. Enemies in High Places
5. In Lieu
6. Feed a Cat to Your Cobra
7. Oh Faithless
8. Please Fire Me
9. Keep Your Eyes Peeled
10. Best Two Out of Three
11. Rape of the Holy Mother
12. SPMC