CTTS - Decompositions Vol I, Chapter I: Rites of Initiation

i don't have to say anything, do i? well, just to be sure: this is the new CIRCLE TAKES THE FUCKING SQUARE EP. as far as i understand, it will be the first quarter of their upcoming full-length. i don't even have words for how excited i am. it WILL be the best album of the year.

the only words i can muster are, "holy shit, this is heavy". i'm in awe. may be over-hyping it for some of you, but idgaf. Way of Ever-Branching Paths and The Ancestral Other Side are just phenomenally amazing. that's right. double adjective. head-spinning. lots of depth.

BANDCAMP IN THE TITLE, SUCKERS.

White Lung - It's The Evil

Vancouver's own 3/4 lady-garage-punk-quartet.

apologies, all. i've been slacking on this blog front lately. i promise that a three-fer is on the way. maybe older/timeless records that i think go unnoticed? but onto this review:

i may be alone in this, but i'm totally stoked on/excited for this band to be in existence. It's The Evil is an awesome record from front to back. no lulls and little filler. it's just full force; aggressive, but with a hint of that rebellious apathy that i find endlessly appealing, especially in stage presence.

basically, this act is a way better version of the YEAH YEAH YEAHS. dancey but moshable punk rock. "raw" and "grungy", but not in the commonly understood sense of the terms. the emotion and "rawness" in presentation is palpable. you can't help but feel it bursting through your speakers. "grungy" in a rock-and-roll sense, but no fuzzy distortion. guitar(s) are crisp and clean, but the amount of gain is ear-piercing. same with the drums. these kids play their instruments hard.

vocally, Mish Way is whiny and wavy, but not in a nauseating or obnoxious way. her vocal style is very well balanced, especially with regards to the flow of the album. a good mix of yelling, screaming, singing, and snottiness. i hate to say it, because it seems all too obvious, but she honestly does remind of of Kathleen Hanna (BIKINI KILL) with the way she enunciates certain words in a mocking-like fashion. you know what i'm talking about. that being said, i wouldn't call WHITE LUNG a riot grrl band. which, incidentally, i think is for the better. (sorry to burst your bubble, second-wavers.) but i digress.

the bass has a distinct fender jazz sound with an excellent tone that blends well with the rest of the band, but stands out when it should/needs to. the cymbals sound like they're shattering to pieces every time they're hit. the snare is punching you in the throat. the guitar plays loud as fuck open chords and dizzying/hypnotic lead parts, but crystal clear and also (somehow) not overpowering. tracks like Viva La Rat, Shoot, and Like Dad (which are my three favorites on the albummm) feature what i find to be the raddest of lead riffs that help define the band. i also think the affect it has on the listener compliments the artwork and vice-versa. a lot of that good old fashioned 16th note stuff going on all around, but they can seemingly stop on a dime. well done.

favvsies: Viva La Rat, Two Seen, Shoot, Like Dad. (Atlanta gets a shout-out too for being hella catchy.)

so yeah, these folks are all over the interwebs: tumblr in the title, myspace, facebook, Deranged Records.

someone book them a show in Chicago. like, maybe that RVIVR/THIS IS MY FIST one in September?

MORE TO COME. I SVVEARRR.

Coffinworm - When All Became None

...and from the bowels of hell (aka Indianapolis), COFFINWORM has arisen. probably the most exciting new act the midwest has to offer.

they play a blackened-yet-stoner-friendly style of mid-tempo sludge. metallic, grim, and satanic. "my insurrection versus your ressurection". death obsession. "putrid breath of life, how i hate you". elements of grindcore set them apart from a lot of what's going on in sludge and black-whatever right now (i.e. the whole post-rock craze). specifically, they utilize the high/low vocalization; the former being very scratchy and audible, and the latter being deep, guttural and muddy. similarly, the employ a fair amount of thrashing on the drums during certain riffs, but this is usually in accordance with the tremelo (read: blackened) guitar riffs. uniqueness aside, the attention paid to this record is mostly due to the fact that these guys just do what they're doing extremely well.

a mere 6 song LP with tracks spanning from six to eight minutes in length, When All Became None is not by any means an extensive work, but similar to SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP, it may be the perfect duration for a band that's just beginning to make their mark on the scene and heading out on tour in the near future. with no obligatory intro(s)/outro(s)/interludes, swelling feedback, or long droning bridges/soundscapes - at least none lasting for more than 20 seconds - COFFINWORM hits the ground running and doesn't let up until the last deafening note. again, i would liken it to grind in this aspect, or at least a more "punk" side of sludge.

one of the coolest things about this release is how transparent it is. what i mean is that nothing is lost or overpowered in the mixing. nothing is notably driving anything else (aside from the tightness of the rhythm section), nothing is drowned out or made indistinguishable. i would anticipate that seeing them live (which i plan on doing August 20th @ Bottom Lounge!) would either match the sound of the record or exceed it. there is no studio magic holding this album together, and there won't be a box full of pedals necessary to replicate the pervasive gloom and doom. COFFINWORM is just simply a really good band, as a band.

personal favs: Blood Born Doom, Spitting in Infinity's Asshole, *The Sadistic Rites of Count Tabernacula.
*rager.

dudes are all over: myspace, bloggin', world-renowned facebook, and a link to their own website has been included in this post's title. kablaam.

SONS AND DAUGHTERS [AND GENDER VARIANTS] OF SATAN, COME TO ME.

Shards - Self-Titled LP

for those of you already familiar with North Carolina's SHARDS, you may have noticed that i've rotated the artwork 90 degrees right. i don't care how the LP is packaged; it really, really looks like a face, and having it sideways bugs the shit out of me.

anyway, a lot of people have been describing this new project as "dark" yet "melodic" punk. i can't say this is far from the truth (what else is new?), but i also feel that there's much room for elaboration. gritty, almost snotty vocals are probably the most notable aspect of the band. hooks and melodies? not really an option without harmonies or repeated one-liners/group vocals, in my opinion. catchy? yeah, i'll agree with that. last.fm claims that the band, "reach[es] back to punk’s pre-hardcore days", bringing to mind early TSOL. i'll agree with that too.

SHARDS goes for an almost SST Records (BLACK FLAG, HUSKER DU, etc.) style sound, and they do a pretty good job of it, considering it is 2011. heavy, crunchy bass is the most driving force underneath the layered vocals (which i must reiterate is definitely the most prominent force on this album), with a nearly absent bass drum and fairly weak snare drum hits. the guitar, however, is not nearly as fuzzy or distorted as these "pre-hardcore" punk pioneers. there are also no ridiculous solos or bends. the riffs they play are pretty rock-and-roll, but in a very subtle way.

because the record goes by so fast and there aren't many stand-out tracks, i'm going to go ahead and cut this one short. i must say, though, that for as underwhelming as i found it at first, this release has made more than its fair share of appearances on my last.fm charts. something about it keeps me coming back, and i'm sure they'd be quite a bit of fun to see live. i am very curious to see if they are able to spawn more bands with this interesting take on an old-school sound. perhaps some sort of unforeseen revival? i don't know. the point is: this is a solid piece of work, and there are definitely not enough people turned on to it. hence, my rants.

check out their myspace (linked in the post title) to hear these jams for yourself. it's not for everyone, i understand, but i think it's pretty cool stuff. and who doesn't like cool stuff?!

the songs i like better than some others: Bleach, Lycanthropic Discomfort, DMT, Self-Medication.

THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER.