Xerxes EP`s

There is an interesting new trend in hardcore that seems to be bubbling up. It's a move to slightly tempter the sheer aggression of hardcore with the emotionality and dynamic change of screamo.
 
The latest band to grab my attention and refuse to let go is Xerxes. To date they have released two EP's, Homeward Carries No Direction and Twins, both released last year


















Generally speaking the instrumentation is typically hardcore. Lots of raging guitars and pounding drums. At least on Homeward the guitars have a more epic quality to them than usual. They rise and fall with more and different emotion than is typically garnered in a hardcore anthem.

The singer is decent though nothing spectacular. His is that gravelly, whiskey shout that's becoming more commonplace. Not gruff but there's more than a little gravel in his larynx.

The thing that keeps me replaying these 9 songs are standouts like US 60. The singer is shouting desperately and you can feel the demons on his heels so when the guitars don't really come in till about halfway but never explode in the expected climax it feels like there is something different going on.

The last two tracks from Twins are great example of the screamo influence. Over sludge like drums and just one screeching guitar tone the singer shouts "comes back to me" like a man possessed. That leads directly into Tuesday which has the most ferocious shouts on the album. The guitars build, alternating sludgy and chugging to build to...nothing. The middle of the track drops out to just bass. They take their time bringing everything back so when they do your head separates from your neck.

This is hardcore. And if you don't listen to screamo or don't like old school (...) 90's emo then you might not notice the subtelties and just gloss on by. That's fine. Lot of people don't see how Touché Amoré`s Marching To The Beat Of A Dead Horse has a major screamo influence on it. I`m not saying that Xerxes is on that level yet though they do draw from a well in the same general area.


If you like hardcore you should check this out. If you like screamo you should give this a listen but be a little wary. I`m looking forward to more material to see the path they choose.

Time For A Mix

Since last i posted on this blog I have finished another year of school and moved to a new house. My old laptop's screen is 80% dead and it's only a matter of time before it gets the Office Space treatment.

So here's another mix I made. It might seem a tad more eclectic than they usually are but that's just a figment of your imagination.

We start off with a pair of tracks from one of the few original OG gangsta rappers, Ice Cube. The songs  The Wrong Nigga To Fuck With and Vaseline put you in a very aggressive mood while still maintaining a lyrical dexterity many rappers would literally kill for.

Then we take a short detour into one of the strangest bands I have ever heard of. They're called Animals On Coke and their debut ep is called When Comedians Have Abortions It's Not That Funny . They play experimental power violence that is incredibly weird. It's not really my cup of tea but the song Diet Coke Head is particularly good.

Then we shift into some classic underground screamo. Ursa Theodorus existed as a band from 2008-2009. My favourite song of theirs is called Oceonographer

Now it's time for some nice melodic straight up ahead punk.  The New Enemy plays melodic punk with skate speed. And even better, they're Canadian. We have two songs here Tim Horton Hears A Who & Black & Blue (Collars). The singer has a great halting shout on the second song.

Bob Tilton where an English band from the 90s, when emo wasn't a bad thing. Here we have just one song from them, but trust me there's more to come and they're great.

From the 90's emo scene in Britain we fast forward to the modern underground punk scene in Philidelphia where Bubonic Bear make their sludgy, punky music. They are a punk based two piece that plays hardcore and sludge in equal measure while adding in awesome screams. I want to say that its power violence with sludge but I'm not sure if that's right at all. These four songs make up their Half Length released last year.

From a two piece playing sludgy punk we head back across the pond to check out Crash Of Rhinos. They play 90's emo with a more screamo sensibility and a small dosing of post rock to lengthen the songs. The songs are a little long for my liking but they are rewarding.

We head towards the experimental  side of things with a track from Heavy Heavy Low Low. They also play grindcore, adding a lot more hardcore and screamo than usual which means I am very much on board. Also, the song is called Meathole and that's kinda cool.

From experimental grindcore we head to some twinkly emo courtesy of Dads. Their new ep  Brush Your Teeth ;) is quite good if your into the whole Twinkle Daddie thing. Also, if you like emotional music this will be right up your alley.

The focus on emotions continue as we head back across to the ocean to England for  four more songs from Bob Tilton. Currently my favourite line of poetry ever is  from Butterfly "If I hold the needle steady, we can sew our eyes shut." The other songs are equally emotional and take you on a roller coaster through dynamic changes and awesome playing.

Hope you enjoy

Defeater

I've never listened to Defeater before so if this is all completely wrong, please forgive my ignorance.

Defeater's new album Empty Days & Sleepless Nights fuses melodic hardcore with a screamo sensibility. I think. The acoustic ep tacked on to the end of this solid album confuses things for me.

 Defeater really reminds me Touché Amoré. Not in the sense that they sound in any way similar other than they both play hardcore. They also play with hardcore in a new way.  Touché Amoré add in liberal doses of screamo into their hardcore, allowing other elements that pure anger to power the music.
 
Defeater play melodic hardcore with a screamo sensibility. While there is always lots of melody in the guitars that melody is never allowed to take over. The focus is almost always on Derek's empassioned and desperate shout screams. This is one of the few situations I like a whiskey soaked shout. 


I did not realize this at first but this really is two recordings.The first is a melodic hardcore album with an emotional shouter that is intent on kicking your ass. Then White Oak Door comes along, the instrumentation drops out while Derek keeps shouting. Then the acoustic guitars and the clean singing start.

The last quarter to third depending on where you place the White Oak Door is a completely different album. It's all acoustic guitars and clean singing. If this was what they played all the time I wouldn't be interested but it's rather neat as a contrast.

All these songs are good. If you're more into the hardcore side of things you'll stick northward of White Oak Doors. Those with a little more open mind will find themselves with the same desperate emotions in an even more melodic surroundings.

CoB

Children Of Bodom. If you know the name you're probably a little wary by now and perhaps rightfully so. I've never really listened to them before but their new album Relentless, Reckless Forever is really quite good in a lot parts.

The opening song Not My Funeral is one of the best. There are riffs galore and the interplay between the guitar and the keyboard remind you why one of the major reasons to listen to Children Of Bodom.

The album is definitely front loaded. The first two songs are clearly the best. They are the most riff focused and  don't rely on cliche's to get by.

They play Melodic Death Metal in one of the ways I really like it. There is just the right amount of Power Metal injected into the mix. The music is epic and the playing undeniably great and thankfully the technicality of the music prevails over epic progginess

Which sadly most of this album does. It is incredibly well played and only a fool would say that the guitar and the keyboard are anything other than top notch. But the songs don't seem to work. The riffs either aren't there or they're not interesting.

Even if some of the songs do disappoint in terms of standing up to previous work this album is not bad. The voice that Children Of Bodom have created serve them well in creating material that, if a tad generic, is rather good. Melodic Death Metal with touches of power metal and grandiose technicality. Other than some more hooks, what could one ask for?

It does shine in points and is a solid Technical Melodic Death Metal album but is far from their high points.

Until Your Heart Stops

I'm not sure if this band only knows how to play incredibly fast and equally heavy but they rarely abandon the white knuckle grip of hardcore.

The intro only has some background screaming vocals over some clean female vocals and a strummed guitar that fades away before the first hardcore anthem.

The first song certainly doesn't race out of the gate instead using a sludgier aproach that eventually turns into a kinda hard rock thing.

Zodiac Signs punches you in the face right out of the gates and doesn't let up at all. The rest of the songs keep up the hardcore power and heaviness but it seems like the anger is directed in a constructive direction.

Caffeinated Blues is the only song that the band doesn't sound like they're playing for lives. The contrast between them and the singer who's screaming harder than ever is quite interesting for a slower paced song.
 
I was going to say that instrumentally they sound a tad generic but that's only in misguided hindsight because the album roars by entirely too quickly. The whole thing is done in under twenty minutes. Positive hardcore but without any of the genre limitations of youth crew. The gang vocals really help grab my attention.

If the vocalist did more screaming and less shouting and the band played with screamo and punk instead of sludge and hard rock I would say it almost sounds like a even less traditional Touché Amoré.

They don't really tie themselves to one specific form of punk, moving through sludgier stuff, some stuff that is almost hard rock and more general straight ahead hardcore punk. They do it with a personality that refuses to be hidden by the confines of a single genre.

Hardcore is usually so focused on smashing your skull in they often forget to about emotional devastation. Which is one of the reasons why bands like Until Your Heart Stops hit as hard as they do.

Blues Mix

This mix only has four artists and they're all blues men.

We start with some Big Bill Broonzy. The two most interesting songs I think are the two that deal with social political issues. I had heard the phrase "If you're white, you're all right. If you're brown, stick around. But if you're black, get back"  before but I never knew there was song before I heard Broonzy singing Black Brown & White.

The social criticism is continued on the song When Will I Get Called To Be A Man. It is heartbreaking to think of all the things Broonzy and his people have done for their country and the complete lack of respect they show in return. He doesn't even get the simple respect of being called a man.


Then we move on to the blind Reverend Gary Davis who's songs focus more on playing and faith than social issues. He does a really cool cover of Motherless Children and I would be amazed if you stood still for You Got To Move.

After some east coast finger picking blues we move down to the south for some steel rag from Blind Boy Fuller. He plays a steel guitar in the style of Blind Willie McTell and other such rag, finger picking greats. Sometimes the cranking of the steel can be a little annoying but the power on the strings makes that inconsequential.

We wind out our mix with a pair of songs by Johnny Shines. Usually his music is a little too laid back and almost funky for my tastes. I prefer hard driving, raucus or finger picking blues which he manages for a pair of songs.

Hope you enjoy.

Whoopass Girls

from the same person who brought you Henry Bemis Is A Superheroe, Screaming & Dreaming, The Sky Looks Pissed and The Loneliest Cowgirl comes another album from The Whoopass Girls.

All of the aforementioned bands have been created and fronted by Ethan from Missoula, Montana. I'll readily admit to only having listened to a minority of his output.

I came across Screaming & Dreaming last year or the year before and enjoyed but I wasn't into the whole emo/screamo thing enough to really appreciate it. Plus that album is rather too chaotic and explosive sans structure for my tastes.

I will also readily admit to heavily disliking the tiny bit of Henry Bemis that I've heard. I download it with the best intentions of listening to it but I can never make it beyond 30 seconds of intensly lo fi cracked out folk music.

And that sums up my entire experience with the output of this somewhat mysterious guy known as Ethan. Until now.

The dude from thatspunk posted up the new self titled Whoopass Girls EP and on a whim I downloaded it.

Apparently no one told Ethan that '90's emo is dead and buried. That's the genre he's decided to resurrect. Now my knowledge in that area is rather limited so I'll go with quoting the people that'spunk namedrops: Christie Front Drive, September and Cap’n Jazz.

It is noodly in points, ethan never approaches singing and for once the lousy production works in the musics favour. This kinda sounds like it was recorded into the same answering machine that Eric's Trip recorded into. Thankfully the vocals, while somewhat distorted as his want, do ride ontop of the distortion and noise created by the band


It's just under a half hour and so doesn't overstay it's welcome. The songs are relatively short allowing the emotion to take control. If you can wrap your head around it you'll have some fun. If not, I rather pity you.

A Rather Random Mix

This week's mix spans a couple of really different genres. We go from sludgy heavy metal to some classic blues to some intelligent modern punk with some stop off in prison work song territory.

We start off our journey with a sludgy metal band called Howl. They, like Baroness and Torche, are doing some really innovative things with heavy metal. Howl in particular throws in some sludgy to their otherwise classic metal sound. Not necessarily unique but innovative to a certain extent.

Then we step into some Chicago blues with a lot of harp courtesy of Billy Boy Arnold. If you like classic chicago blues and harmonica there's definitly something here for you.

Then we come to the punk rock clump. We start with The Gaslight Anthem who for my money have taken over for a now incredibly shitty Against Me! Gaslight Anthem maybe slightly less aggressive punk and no folk but they seem to pick up the torch that Against Me! have willfully thrown away.

Then it's time for Bouncing Souls. They've been around for awhile and play a very competent style of punk rock that may be derivative but is never less than a ton of fun. We have one really catchy, dirty song by the awesomely named Swingin' Utters and then we have a bunch of RVIVR.

RVIVR is a bit of a supergroup pop punk band, with members from Latterman, Shorebirds, Hooky, Socks & Sandals, Casual Lust, Lightnin' Round and Glue!. They are one of a bunch of bands that are doing intelligent pop punk music. That's apparently not an oxymoron any more.

Then the energy dies away quickly with some work songs by the Prisoners at the Ramsey and Retrieve State Farms, Texas. Recorded by Pete & Toshi Seeger in the 1950's there are 3 work songs the prisoners would have sung while working in the field. Given the racist justice system in Texas in the 50's there were probably numerous innocent men on this recording.

Then we step into some Bomb The Music Industry! style ramshackle slightly ska punk music from the Taxpayers. The only problem I have with their music is it tends to a little softer than I like and I feel suits the barely together feel of their music.

We come near the end our mix with a bunch of caustic screamo. One song from Te Lloraría Un Puto Río from their 4 way split and three songs from Carrion Spring. If you don't like desperate punk music with emotion stabbing you in the face while turned up loud enough to make your ears bleed skip to the last two songs.

The Holy Mess end our mix and are a pop punk band but these two songs have a melodic sense and a forceful sense of urgency that comes out thicker than it usually does.

Hope you enjoy.

Dropkick Murphy's

The Dropkick Murphy's started playing a rather rough version of Boston Celtic punk in 1996. In the prevailing years the band has grown in terms of sound, ability, members and popularity. They have added more and more elements of Irish punk into the mix moving away from the raw street punk they started with.

Their latest album Going Out In Style is officially released today and it does not disappoint. They have changed their sound slightly again, this time round they're more folky and a tad less aggressive but no less energetic. Songs like Sunday Hardcore Matinee and the raucous title track kick your ass continously while never forgetting about the melody and using some interesting instrumentation. Springsteen even shows up to sing a verse.

If you don't know the Dropkick's then this isn't a bad introduction. You might be surprised at how punk they can get but these are solid songs that work with the folk influence. If you do know Dropkick then this won't surprise you at all.

These songs work just as well blasting out of your speakers turned up to 11 as they do coming through your headphones in the middle of the night. It's not often a combination of punk and folk works in both settings.

The first two songs are both really very punk and may trick you slightly but variations come fast and strong after that. It's a wild ride well worth sitting through.

Mail Call!

First I would like to apologize for the lack of posting last week. I was in Mexico for reading week.

I got back last night to a package slip from the post office. So today I was off to pick up my vinyl.

I do love Robot Empire. They have great stuff and while the shipping may be a little slow they throw in an extra album for free.

The first album that excited the hell out of me was the four way international split between Beau Navire (America) , Carrion Spring (American), Te Llorian Un Puto Rio (for some reason I can't find exactly where these guys are from but it's somewhere in  South America I'm betting) , & The Discord Of A Forgotten Sketch (Canada). It is 8" clear vinyl and is limited to 500. Robotic Empire still has three in stock and it's only 6.99 for 4 awesome bands.

This is my first piece of vinyl by a Canadian band. I'm not a nationalist but that excites me just a little bit.

The music is all really intense screamo stuff, rapidly transitioning from moments of beauty to moments of utter heaviness and chaos.  Though in this particular brand of screamo there aren't really moments of melodic beauty just some relative calm before the storm. A lot of this stuff could easily pass for hardcore if wasn't for the slightly lighter parts.

The best song on the album is clearly Red Beard Rides Again by Carrion Spring.  At over 4 minutes it's the longest track and refuses to crumble under it's own massive weight. The song will consume you and that will be fine.

Te Lloraría Un Puto Río's songs are good and the lyrics are in spanish which makes the screaming all that much more unintelligble. Suprisingly catchy for music designed to smash your face in.

The Discord Of A Forgotten Sketch are rather cool, there aren't as many explosions, mainly some slight but significant changes in tempo. La Deux Part Deux keeps up a thundering, thumping beat before a vocal breakdown and a an almost jazzy guitar solo.

Beau Navire was the band I was most interested in going in to this album I think in large part because they apparently share members with Loma Prieta who pose major questions for me. Unfortunately it seems like their songs are the most underwhelming. These Waves starts out with the almost cliche of a hoarse screaming voice and a melodic picked pattern on the guitar that give way to raging energy laced with quick melodies.

The other piece of wax is a split from 2007 between two American bands, Monarcs from Miami Florida and Thank God from Colombia South Carolina. It's

Monarcs continue to do their own sludgy screamo thing. They're the only band I know that mixes those two genres and they always have innovative and interesting songs structures. Dropout Kallisti is one of those songs that just grabs your ears the minutes the stop and start riff starts hammering away and doesn't let up for a second. (sorry bout the rapidshare link)

Thank God are a lot more frantic, reaching almost to what is perhaps jokingly called emo violence. There is some meloody hidden in there but it takes a while to find it. Not quite as a gripping as Monarcs but good in it's own way.

I do love getting things in the mail.

Robotic Empire is so cool they even sent me a free copy of Ultar Dolphin's Mar. I heard Alien Baby last year and it thoroughly perplexed me while it rocked out. Looking forward to it

Blues Mix

Here's another blues mix I made for you guys

We start off today where we ended last time with a final track by blues shouter Big Joe Turner. Next a couple of songs by a man who's music freed him. Robert Pete Williams was in Angola prison when he was discovered and recorded by Dr Harry Oster and Richard Allen. He was serving a life prison for a murder he claimed was self defense. One these songs, Grown So Ugly has been covered by Captain Beafheart & The Black Keys. His songs are rhythmically unique, different meters and such make them really cool pieces of art.

We get down in the delta for a little bit with some songs by Mississippi Fred Mcdowell all three of which are fairly iconic. Shake 'Em On Down is also done by Elmore James and is a complete classic much like Good Morning Little Schoolgirl. Then we move out to the east coast for some finger picking Piedmont Blues.  Pink Anderson not only has an awesome voice but can write some really good songs that have some delta in the vocals and lots of pickin on the guitar.

 If you don't know who Etta James is this is your opportunity  to fix your errors. She's won a bunch of awards in her 40+ year career. Here are three tracks, including a duet cover of Spoonful with Harvey Fuqua. Now we have some more Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe McCoy. Memphis Minnie is one of few female pre war blues guitarists. She could really play that thing with a passion and a fire.

Now we switch to some slide guitar blues with Elmore James. We have his version of Shake Your Moneymaker and another song called Fine Little Mama. Excellent, iconic blues. Followed by one of my favourite artists, another guy with a great name, Brownie McGhee. He was very close to Blind Boy Fuller back in the day, even recording as Blind Boy Fuller 2 for awhile. Brownie may be best known for his work with harmonica king Sonny Terry. There is a little bit of harmonica blues in these songs but most of them lean towards an interesting combination of country and Piedmont style blues.

At some point I downloaded a complete discography of Charley Patton. It came with a bunch of other stuff as well. Like a duet with Bertha Lee called Troubled 'Bout My Mother, sessions by Son House, Walter "Buddy Boy" Hawkins, Willie Brown and a track by a guy named the Masked Marvel. Can you  guess who he is?

Blind Willie Mctell, one of my favourite artists shows up again with four tracks from Atlanta Twelve Strings and John Lee Hooker returns eight tracks from four albums. Hooker's unique style is unmatchable.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wt22a0um4hab2xx