Protest Music

This morning, in light of NATO, NPR's experts talked about their favorite protest songs. One of the old alts mentioned Minor Threat. I'd agree that my favorite protest music–if I have such a thing–falls into the hardcore punk genre and involves little more than that us against everyone mentality. The best bands let the speed and bark do the protesting. People complain when bands don't have that elusive quality immediacy. What is immediacy? It's making music that has to be made. It's feeling like your song can change the world. The best protest music might or might not have engaging lyrics. The best protest music always has immediacy. 

Did you hear? Duress - Indifference

Punk recordings can suffer when they fail to capture a band's in-concert aggression. Duress's sets were fun (read: scary) to behold. Bodies and objects flying every which way, instruments and sweat. And then there's me standing in the back thinking about how it could possibly sound good at home on vinyl or mp3. Duress made it happen. 

The speed stands out at first. The record don't slow until the last song. The vocals are presented in the center of the mix, and Matt's harsh phrasing gives the 7" coherence. The drums pound in a similar way, often to accent the vocals. Kyle, the guitarist, rarely plays one riff for long, swiftly hopping from idea to idea while maintaining Duress's dedication to speed. The result is music that sounds like it could come unhinged at any time. By playing riffs way up on the neck, usually at the end of the song or passage, he rockets songs into outer space while the rhythm section focuses on pounding them back to Earth. Nowhere is this more prevalent than on my standout, "Allergic to Hope." In "Guilt," the affected guitar makes way for overdriven bass, and the conflict between these sounds almost, just almost, epitomizes the struggle in the pit. I can see it now as I saw it then.

My favorite 7" of 2010. Please sell me a physical copy, as I slept. 

Get it here! 

Did you hear? Boiling Over - Barriers

 

I've been following Boiling Over since their first show, and now two years later they are at their peak.  Incidentally, this peak coincides with their end and last show.  I hate when bands stick around past their welcome.  It's cool to see Boiling Over quit before their inevitable slide into making indie-hardcore with like trumpets and harp and sound bites from obscure documentaries. No way, I don't think those dudes would ever do that.

Tyler (drums) and T.J. (guitar) exist on a transcendent hardcore plane. They share a common brain which has been programmed for hardcore greatness.  Check out this old video of them running through a set, honing their craft.  They intuitively know where each break and fast part will lead because that's what it's like to be part of a power-duo.  What this amounts to on record is tight guitar and drums.  You heard it on songs like "Trash City," and it's back on "Pushed to Death."

 

I'd argue that Barriers even has a swan-song called "On the Fringe."  You get the fast section at the top with Pat's mean vocals, and then all hell breaks loose when Joey does his thing on bass and the mid-tempo instrumental part kicks in.  Your mosh impulse triggers, and you want to lay waste to this ugly, trashy city. 

Get it here!

Did you hear? Expired Youth - Demo

When Expired Youth broke up on April 17, 2007 (I'm looking at the last show shirt now, actually), it seemed like everyone who liked hardcore even a little bit came out. Such a fun time, but it ranks as my second-favorite time seeing them. The first was when they played Depaul with the Killer and some touring bands. They had the old lineup, considerably fewer fans, and a kickass demo.

And a good demo is really all a band needs to succeed at first. EY released a 7-inch on Think Fast! records, but I prefer the demo. Maybe it was a time-and-place thing, but that demo spent an entire winter in my car stereo. I can't remember the last time such a young band made that kind of impression on me.

Get it here!

Did you hear? Bastard - Wind of Pain

I don't have a lot of knowledge of Japanese hardcore, but I know that Bastard's Wind of Pain is one of the best examples of it. Wind of Pain rages for its full duration (just under 17 minutes). My favorite parts include the first riff in "Never Change," the opening riff in "To the Stumped Underdogs," and the final minute of "Truth." Thanks to John from Weekend Nachos for turning me onto this awesome band. The first two songs posted from WN's new LP are on a total Bastard tip, so check those out. Hopefully, they play some Bastard covers in the future.

Get it here!

This year in songs: part 5 - Fucked Up

This song has Fucked Up doing what they do best as well as changing the game a little. The pretty chorus comes outta nowhere. I can't write about music, ok. Enjoy the song.

This year in songs: part 3 - Blacklisted

Blacklisted really impressed me in '08. After teasing listeners with, "I Am Weighing Me Down," they dropped my favorite album of the year and became the most relevant band in hardcore save for Fucked Up. This song is an all-out rager, and I hope you like it.

Review: Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life

In light of yesterday’s Chicago show and the ensuing message board shenanigans, I bring you my review of the new Fucked Up LP, lovingly shortened to ChemCom.

For all the fans of Fucked Up, there are equal numbers of haters lurking in the shadows, waiting to take their jabs when the moment is right. Is it the abstract artwork? Eight minute long songs? Non-traditional instrumentation? Outrageous ebay prices? Whatever the reason, Fucked Up polarizes the punks. I belong to the, “they’re fucking awesome” camp, but I know people that don’t, and with this blog, I intend to show just how wrong they are.

ChemCom opens with a flute intro and “Son the Father.” Fucked Up eschews traditional gang vocals in favor of an all-female bizarro chorus, and it works. “Magic Word” incorporates bongos. Apparently, “No Epiphany” has a million guitar tracks, though I can barely tell them all apart. As the album rages on to its climax, “Twice Born,” Fucked Up demands listeners to put their, “hands up.” After eight punk classics, how can you resist? The two instrumental tracks force the audience to adjust to Fucked Up's love for psychedelics and shoegazey goodness. Though it’s starting to become cliché to say, Fucked Up reminds us of just how unoriginal contemporary hardcore can be, and they challenge us to do some experimenting. ChemCom is great; haters be damned.

Review: Blacklisted - Heavier than Heaven, Lonelier than God

In an effort to avoid riding Pitchfork’s coattails, here is my review of Blacklisted’s new LP, Heavier than Heaven, Lonelier than God.

When the first MP3 from the new record dropped (“I am Weighing me Down”), I flipped out. I knew instantly that the new album would be special. Move forward a few weeks, and I’m receiving messages from my friends that it had leaked. No, this was not the Evan Blanco/Rick Astley leak, but the actual leak, and I loved it upon first listen. Flash forward to Saturday night, and I have a physical copy (record release, hand-numbered /200, no less) in my hands.

The finished product sounds better than the leak, for sure. The mixing problems have been fixed, and the tracks are tagged properly. Blacklisted has subtly changed their sound from record to record, and this is their biggest leap yet. The songs are dynamic. There are massive tempo and style changes in each song. On their official myspace, they claim to be a soul and shoegaze band. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but they have some elements of those genres in place. “Circuit Breaker”, the album’s standout, has a psychedelic/noisy section that really stands out. “Touch Test” has an outro a la My Bloody Valentine. Read: this is not generic hardcore.

George’s vocal delivery is the best it has ever been. He wore a Cat Power shirt at Saturday’s show, and I can tell he is influenced by that sort of soulful music. On “Wish”, the stellar closer, he sneers, “Wish I wasn’t an emotional wreck.” The effect is massive. The lyrics, as usual, are great.

I have no complaints. The album is short; that’s about it. Go out and get the gatefold LP, it looks amazing. For fans of: groovy hardcore and Blacklisted. Is this the best Blacklisted material? Yes. Is this the album of the year so far? It just might be.