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January Reviews Artist of the Month: Deerhoof Deerhoof is one of those very rare musical entities that persists over time (ten full-lengths + three EPs = thirteen years of longevity), yet refuses to show any signs of its age. From all appearances, Deerhoof sounds like a band exhilarated with the unmapped prospects of its own future—like a band that is just starting out. It’s this sense of perpetual youth that gives the group its sense of daring, its willingness to be musically mutable, and its sense of sonic alchemy. Friend Opportunity comes as the follow-up to the band’s watershed The Runners Four, and as such will inevitably be scrutinized relative to its predecessor’s strengths. This may or may not account for the certain element of self-awareness in Friend Opportunity. The band seems to have sought to deliberately try for a different kind of record this time out and it works. With the departure last spring of guitarist Chris Cohen (to concentrate on his band, the Curtains), Friend Opportunity marks in some ways a return to their beginnings—think less Milk Man and more Holdypaws—and yet, is paradoxically, is still an evolutionary step forward, if not quite the statement of The Runners Four. Where the scope of that album was loose and sprawling, Friend Opportunity is only half the songs (it would be a great deal shorter if not for the twelve minute closer “Look Away”) and incredibly dense in structure all while retaining the band’s trademark playfulness. It’s what John Dieterich, Satomi Matsuzaki, and Greg Saunier manage to squeeze into these ten songs that provides the listener with the first real sense of their new album’s hidden depths. It will probably take multiple listens to find or discover all the subtleties in songs like “The Perfect Me”, or my personal favorite, “Believe ESP”, not because they’re buried under layers and layers of tracks, but because everything is masterfully blended in service of the song itself. Deerhoof have always had a knack for juggling that rare pop feat of pop feats—they lure you in with their catchy hooks, and then keep you guessing at how the music works behind those hooks. It wasn’t until the third or fourth listen that I realized that part of the ‘slight of hand’ behind “Believe ESP” is the timpani-like drum sounds on its chorus/bridge/B part (traditional labels are difficult to apply to Deerhoof’s song structures – do these songs even have choruses?). A good pop album works through its ability to connect to its audience through the subconscious—we don’t know how it’s working but we know that it works. Or to just put this all in another way, Deerhoof creates music for people who like music. They are a band’s band. (- Andrew Pryor)
Chad VanGaalen Last year’s Infiniheart introduced Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen to the rest of the music world. Billed as a quasi-reclusive basement/computer recording virtuoso, Infiniheart was somewhat of a best-of from hundreds of VanGaalen’s songs. The fifteen-song Skelliconnection maintains some of vault producing magic, but clearly VanGaalen has focused more on indie pop accessibility and live show reproduction. Electronic quirkiness and singer-songwriter oddities still remain, but also you are greeted with well-constructed zingers like “Burn 2 Ash,” the bass thumping “Gubbish,” the bluesy “Wind Driving Dogs,” as well as the simple numbers like banjo picking “Wing Finger,” “Graveyard,” and “Sing Me 2 Sleep.” Skelliconnection closely connects VanGaalen to his Canadian music Sub Pop massive (e.g., the Constantines, Wolf Parade) and the product is grand.
Charlotte Hatherley After years of riding a raw groove with Ash and later stepping into the limelight with a searching and harmony laden solo album "Grey Will Fade," Charlotte will need all this experience and the guts she has displayed in abundance, as she releases her debut on her own label Little Sister (set up with her manager Ann Marie Shields). The boldness doesn't end there, as the title track displays her most polished vocal sound that she pushes along with a nostalgic and a fuzzy 60s style accompaniment. Quirky instrumental interludes set a longing feel for Charlotte's pleading touch to join up with. The end result is a four minute exploration of pop music as it should be, accessible but quirky. A return to her rawer side is found in "Mr. Ed," whereby the Katie Jane Garside in Charlotte rushes to the surface and stomps upon the rugged bass-lines, thumping percussion and roving 70s rock guitars. Calming, yet at the same time rustic backing vocals give the song completeness, contrasting with Charlotte's range and represents some mood mixing craft and all-round adventure that this performer has been synonymous with throughout her career. The swooning ballad of "Cousteau" casts a welcomed, calming shadow over proceedings, as the listener is hushed into submission. It is just what music needs at the moment some ranging adventurousness, well here it is! (- David Adair)
Comets On Fire is a Santa Cruz five-piece psych band that delivers an amalgam of garage rock and jazz contrasted with a keen sense of sound vs. space. The music featured on Avatar is not your 60’s psych rock, but the ext logical iteration of the ensuing 40 years. Which is to say that this isn’t a bunch of guys blowing their minds on expansive far-out sounds, but a bunch of guys with a revisionist idea of how “blowing your mind” is supposed to sound. As sometimes happens with revisionism, Comets On Fire’s idea of psychedelic music can be better than the original, or as Fred Madison would say “Comets on Fire prefer to remember pysch rock their own way, not necessarily how it happened.” This ‘improvement’ is in no small part due to the dual guitars of Ethan Miller (who also takes vocal duties) and Ben Chasney (of Six Organs of Admittance). These guitarists panned hard left and right form the conjoined brain of this band. On songs such as “The Swallow’s Eve”, and instrumental “Sour Smoke”, the guitars interlock for a couple of lines only to depart from one another in a fit of discordant variation. “The Swallow’s Eye” culminates with an homage to Hendrix’s “Manic Depression”, the chromatic riffs locked in with the rhythm section, before expanding into dual, soloing guitar-noise. If the guitars make up the mind of Comets On Fire, then Noel Harmonson’s array of oscillators, analog keyboards, etc., make up its nebulous heart. No song on Avatar would be what is without Harmonson’s beautiful swaths of musical ether. (- Andrew Pryor)
Glory of This The Love, The Liar, The Ruse starts so lamely on “Remove and Replace” with distant emo piano playing that continued exposure would cause vomiting. Thankfully, Florida’s Glory of This quickly moves into its brand of melodic punk hardcore on the rest of “Remove and Replace;” but it’s still a questionable move. Replacing two members with guitarist/vocalist Chino and drummer Dave Miller, Glory of This move beyond their 2004 debut Adoration to a more balanced record replete with catchy and melodic moments and choruses. In fact, the pop-punk background of Chino and Miller may have pushed Glory of This to more melodic moments. Probably a good reflection of LLR comes on “A Fair Trade” where the band shifts between throaty vocals, heavy muting to straight-up melodic punk. But on “A Fair Trade” and songs like “Ripped At the Seams” shows Glory of This rocking without an entirely firm grasp on their identity. That’s fine, but on LLR the genuine, impassioned shifts that make such amalgams of sound legit is missing. Not helping matters is the acoustic “Honesty Is My Policy” – wrists will be slit at first utterance.
The Grates Coming out over the summer, this sweet, hot fourteen-track full-length from the hip trio from down under will get your indie shoes dancing. Featuring simple, quirky indie pop punk, the Grates move all over the map, but always manage to offer catchy numbers that you wind up humming hours later…. After the yodeling intro, “Lies” offers the slightly more serious sounding Grates – not lyric-wise but serious as indie rockers. The complementary side of the Grates to this serious sounding rock comes from their terrific bouncy, catchy songs first exemplified from “19 20 20.” Others that go for the fun include “Trampoline,” the uber-catchy “Science Is Golden” (which it is), the light verse of “Nothing Sir,” and the raucous “Inside Outside.” Highlights that follow the “Lies” path include the excellent “Rock Boys,” the riot grrrl “Howl,” and the banjo-picking “Sukkafish.” Given the lateness of this review, you probably are wise on the Grates. If not, check them out in the immediate future.
The Heart Attacks Winding Austin, Texas based rock N' roll aches like The New York Dolls, The Troggs and The Stooges, oozing out garage rock feistiness and lurid punch. "Eyes", with its throaty backing vocal push reaches a rip-roaring groove with ease and the coasting 70s riffs simply put the number into cruise control. "Guilty" nudges the sound towards a winding AC/DC instrumental platform and the vocals of Chris Hodge, are forcefully pushed, like he is thrusting them into the heads of his enemies to give off some good old attitude. The ex-Sixteen Deluxe guitarist Chris Smith, earns his corn in tracks like "Widowmaking" providing the stripped down guitar push to send the track soaring. The production of Lars Frederiksen is an obvious directional influence, as you can tell that he has played his part in conjuring a cocky strut, also adding the odd atmospheric touch to keep you on your toes. Of course, it wouldn't retro R N' R if there wasn't a song about living fast and to the limit, but "Fast Times Attached" is not a token offering. Hodge's throaty and life bearing bellows give the song life and an inhibition releasing quality, reaching screeching point at times just to re-iterate their laboured point. "Hellbound and Heartless" slows things down for a release of bemusement and bewilderment, as once again Chris Smith controls the tempo with his guitar prowess. This slow it down theme continues into the bracing, acoustic dominated title track to provide a contrast to the normal whirlwind tempo they keep up. The Heart Attacks not so much wear their influences on their sleeve, but tattoo them all over with unashamed pride. (- DA)
Holy Molar At first thought, it seems that a Holy Molar DVD is an utter waste of space. But once you get the first glimpse of Holy Molar going ape shit at a show, then it all makes sense that this is the second-best way to experience the band – the first being live and the third being audio only. As you might expect the live part of the DVD only makes up a fraction as the band blitz through ten songs at four different locations in only eighteen minutes. The best of those moments come from “Just One Minute…” from Chain Reaction (Anaheim), “Dungeons and Drag Queens I-II” from Gilman Street (Berkeley), and, well, “Dungeons and Drag Queens III” from Graceland (Seattle). The rest of the DVD consists of playing at a teenager’s birthday party where they don’t exactly want to be at and the inherent awkwardness there within; a live montage; a focus on unibrow keyboardist Henk; assorted band-crowd interactions; the band as glam metal rockers; and after show errata. It should be required that bands like Holy Molar only release DVDs of their music in order to get the entertainment they deserve.
Hot Gossip In a guess the country of origin game, you would probably plump for Burkina Faso before Italy when it comes to this vibrant and elemental rock trio. They demonstrate a surly strut that comes from being hurled out of a pub once too often. The wholly instrumental "Intro," shows that Rough n' ready is the order of the day early on. The base of grinding, extended riffs sets a snappy tone and helps them to effortlessly slip into the vocal grit and slow percussion and guitar trundle of Five." Garage rock rawness spills out like toxic waste, with Luca's poisonous spiel being most noticeable in "Real Mess." Numbers like this give you the impression as to what Hard-fi would sound like after 5 years in the slammer. A swirling glam interlude in the guise of "John Rowland" provides a fresh edge, something that is continued in the dual vocal paranoia stomp of "(Things Happen) On A Tuesday." "Same Old" unfortunately sees a dip into the cliched rock void, losing some of the momentum and endearing bite, as the stop-start nature fails to hit home. It is hard for an offering of this ilk to avoid such pitfalls and they are soon back on track with help from an indie surge, "Before Tonight." A The Cribs styled stroll through drunkenness of "La Mort," sums up the sleazy nature of life for many. All in all, this offering is captivating and manages to steer through well-trodden territory picking out different sights. What is it with the Italians, eh? They win the World Cup and now they feel ready to do anything. (- DA)
Lions in the Street For some reason or another it took me a long time to final get Lions in the Street’s EP into the stereo. The problem was, though, is once it got in there I couldn’t take it out, because it felt like you just came across an amazing lost 70s rock album – one that produces chills. Getting screwed by a major label may have been the exact prodding for these Canadians to write and self-recorded the brilliant five songs on Cat Got Your Tongue. In a double-extra fuck you to the music world, you can get this EP off LITS site for free. And when you hear the Stones-meets-Allmans “Mine Ain’t Yours” your pants just fly off your body, you know that you’ve heard the truth. “Already Gone” kicks off the scratchy recorded EP with fast riffs and bluesy attitude – where the partially sub quality recording matches the flavor of LITS nearly perfectly. The slow paced “Lady Blue” and “Feels Like a Long Time” bends the band’s softer side, while “You’re Gonna Lose” closes down the EP with dirty, distorted rock riffs. Cat Got Your Tongue brings you back to some magical days of yore where life consisted of sunshine, laughs, and relaxing on the beach.
Luke Toms The post of mediator between the sounds of Rufus Wainwright and Van Morrison has now been well and truly taken. There is a wide ranging backing band, incorporating a powerful piano element that props up the commanding singing of Toms for the title track, where he speaks of someone falling into life's money-trap. A robust piano element changes the pace and key to give the forlorn "Hangover Blues," a mood switching edge. The adventurous accompaniment to "(Oh No) You Can't Do That," coupled with the fact that the vocals are given a slower projection and a rougher coating, allows Toms to bear out feelings of longing. This four track EP certainly shows an artist who is happy to use an expansive backdrop, thus helping him to have a bit more power and pull than many other solo artists. (- DA)
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's Eerie Four Tet style ambience seeps into the air around you and "A sea shanty of sorts" opens up the world of this earnest outfit from the Midwest of America. The calming vocals of Richard Edwards bobbles up and down on a slow wave of coating guitars, subtle percussion and punctuating backing vocals to ooze heart and soul. "Skeleton key" slides into the pop slipstream of Okkervil River and Paul Simon for some song and emotion building that bears out the independent and thoughtful nature of this group. The understanding between the two lead men of Edwards and Andy Fry belies a chance meeting in a pet shop just over two years ago. "Quiet as a Mouse" illuminates their musical compactness and ability to deal out a pulsating power ballad. The dark and brooding side of Margot & the nuclear so and so's is slowly delivered from a parcel of acoustic guitars and crisp vocals through "Jen is bringing me drugs". The mood drops along with the musical notes to draw a sullen veil over matters. Flighty, flower pop/indie will continue to blossom if it keeps on being delivered with some Mercury Rev style strolling and lyrical force, as in "On A Freezing Chicago Street"; "We got drunk on cheap red wine in a paper cup, and I was barely awake when you got home and climbed yourself into bed with cheap perfume. And, Sarah screamed your every breath is a gift, if you weren't so selfish then you might wanna live." Having fixed you into a state of dreaminess and morbidity, the guys decide to crank things up and get their funk on, in "Barfight revolution, power violence" to shake things up nicely. Wistfulness returns in "A Light On A Hill" and the acoustic mastery hits a nadir to draw out the emotion. With albums being rushed out like Christmas decorations these days; this offering speaks of a leisurely approach with the focus being placed upon veracity and craftsmanship. (- DA)
Mew Recently noteworthy for Pitchfork naming this record as one of the worst album covers of the year, as well as the band’s common pronunciation with one of my favorite Greek letters mu, these Danish space pop rockers offer a stunning fourteen track in And the Glass Handed Kites. Fueled by Jonas Bjerre’s wack dreams and Johan Wohlet, Bo Madsen, and Silas Graae playing, Mew offers both ordinary songs and, more importantly, grand moments of pop majesty. Parsing out the highlights from the average creates single envy here, something that places like NME have propelled. Combining the haunting appealing 80s electronic rock, space rock, and indie rock, Mew opens on the instrumental “Circuitry of the Wolf” before moving to the average “Chinaberry Tree.” The first hint of specialness comes on “Why Are You Looking Grave?” where Mew turns up the LA shoegazer mode and gets J Mascis to add his creaky voice to the catchy conventions. Other songs that match the excitement of “Why Are You Looking Grave” include the electronic spitting “Apocalypso,” the rocker “Special,” the uptempo “The Seething Rain Weeps,” and the seven-minute slow closer “Louise Louisa.” As you move through And the Glass Handed Kites, these numbers shine but the other songs are even-keeled and solid.
The Noisettes A Karen-O style vocal prowl feeds off caustically winding riffs to show up the new wave pitch of a band who boasts a front lady, Shingai Shoniwa with possibly the widest and most commanding female range in this modern era, to set up opener "Don't Give Up." The tempo continues to climb in "Scratch Your Name", as though M People and The Bellrays have forged an alliance and been given a triple shot of adrenalin. Then, it is moments like this that defines great albums, the mood relaxes into the slow lullaby introduced and mysterious pop swoon, "The Count Of Monte Christo." This character, in true Dumas fashion, makes an unexpected entrance and completely changes the focus. A hint of folk and softness takes over Shoniwa's manner to put the listener and the album into cruise control, bringing playfulness out from a dark lyrical shadow. The off-kilter and thrusting production touches of Ollie Evans, whose nudge has propelled The Klaxons and Gossip, is well utilised and it keeps The Noisettes' oblique focus in tact. "Bridge To Canada" sets out a longing climb and brings a touch of aching soul to the fore, as this broad trio uses a shattering percussion clatter to put all their topsy-turvy drive into one well thought out foray. This spasm approach is adopted in "Nothing To Dread" that juxtaposes racing grit with slow and contemplative Beth Orton interludes, when Shoniwa puts on another vocal mask to eek out feeling and defiance. Tours with Muse and the odd date with Babyshambles have given this watertight trio the exposure they need to show their flexibility. The slightly rustic and jam fuelled "Mind The Gap" will have struck a chord with Babyshambles' fans and the Muse crowd will have responded to the hearty projection in "Hierarchy." A dual gender vocal approach makes for a welcoming surprise upon finding the slow grooving hidden ode of "Never Fall In Love Again." It stands out for being the only track that the leading lady did not have a hand in writing, demonstrating a more straightforward, folk style approach hinting at a possible future direction, maybe? For now, let's just sit back and enjoy the range, eh? (- DA)
The Number 12 Looks Like You There is a little something for both hardcore and metal fans alike in this superlative re-release. Like what? Well for starters, The Number 12 Looks Like You exhibit a sense of genuine, albeit twisted, humor… technically impressive musicianship (you can’t be all mathy without it)… screaming angry-guy vocals + bellowing demon-guy vocals (sometimes simultaneously)… slightly gratuitous nonmusical interludes (including the four final songs comprised of intervals of silence divisible by the number twelve)… and even a nouveau-classical guitar piece (also possibly gratuitous). Originally released in 2003 and since out of print, The Number 12 Looks Like You (replete with new label) has seen fit to re-release this record and rightly so, as it is worth hearing for its relative mathcore merits. As far as gratuity is concerned, perhaps those nonmusical tracks need to be kept within the context of the whole in order for its parts to work, for Put On Your Rosy Red Glasses is something of an anachronism; it is a concept album in an age where concept albums are increasingly antiquated in the context of mp3 players and media PCs. Many people will probably delete those nonmusical tracks anyway, for example after importing the CD into iTunes. Are listeners really going to sit through the 12:12 of silence at the end of this album? Does one need a high variable bit rate for compressing silence? What I like about this band beyond their music is that it isn’t afraid to pose these kinds of difficult intellectual questions. (- AP)
Solo Andata Positive waves must hover between Sweden, the home of Paul Fiocco and Australia, the base of Kane Ilkin, the other half of this tranquil, empirical and searching outfit. The spirit of avante-garde music is brought to life in the seeping, slow building string led stroll of "Her Face Soft As Sleep." This could easily accompany the walk of a lonely person across a windy and isolated beach in a weepy, nostalgic 70s film. The seven minute melting slow jazz feel given to "Old City Crowd," provides for reflection and some morose mood setting, displaying craft to show that this non-vocal pair can convey moods and emotions far better than four dictionaries worth of words. The way the hollow and subtle percussive element starts to flesh out the previous dense instrumental base in "A Ballet Of Hands," represents a slow climb in mood and range to build up impact with deftness. Most of the tracks saunter over the five minute mark and are each an island in this sea of dreaminess and contemplation, created by this contemplative pair. The theme of isolation is visited with regularity, yet it is done with eerie warmth, you feel. A mixture of the lush strings and inaudible zings that is blended into the introduction to "Beneath This Stone Wall," builds up to a level tempo stroll and demonstrates a use of contrast that most modern emo and post-rock outfits would sell their scowl for. A fatter mingle of Belle Orchestre and The Silent Orchestre represents a volume increase towards the end through "Coastal Road Thoughts," as the atmosphere starts to climb out of a dreamy state, momentarily. The distant nature of the recording process that is juxtaposed by an intimate proffered by feel the finished sound, renders the live shows a very intriguing prospect indeed. Solo Andata have been known to put as much effort into creating a visual ambience as they do into creating their subtle, yet deep songs. This makes them a complete and authentic outfit. (- DA)
This record comes the way of ‘where the fuck did this come from?’ and ‘who the hell are Teddybears?’ After various twists and turns as a band, Teddybears are three guys from Stockholm, Sweden who are in essence a crack production team that align and craft scores of musical sounds into uber-catchy electronic songs. You’ve likely already heard a couple of these songs as they’ve been featured in commercials, particularly “Cobrastyle” featuring Mad Cobra. Yes, you know “Cobrastyle” with its big block beats and Mad Cobra’s dance-hall vocals throughout. But, Mad Cobra isn’t the only guest on Soft Machine as Teddybears utilize an array of guests for vocals – adding to their image as a production team. Other mind-blowing songs include the electronic-tipped “Different Sound” featuring Malte, the super pop of “Yours to Keep” with Neneh Cherry and Annie, the club-bouncing “Are You Feelin’ It” featuring Elephant Man, the appropriately named “Punkrocker” with wild-eyed Iggy Pop adding his quirky throated love, and Daddy Boastin’ on “Ahead of My Time.” The future is extremely bright for Teddybears.
The Thermals Catchy to the hilt, the Thermals’ lastest record The Body, The Blood, The Machine is a thinly-veiled concept record about the U.S. as a fascist Christian country and how to survive and act within. With the departure of drummer Jordan Hudson, the rest of the Thermals, Kathy Foster (bass/drums) and Hutch Harris (vocals/guitars) recorded BBM with Fugazi’s Brendan Canty near their HQ of Portland. Employing their ‘post-pop-punk’ the Thermals flash through ten songs on a consistently full wall of simple guitars not unlike the Smoking Popes and Harris’ confident shouting vocals. Compelling, indeed, there are moments where you wish the Thermals could up the innovativeness to create more separation song to song. Most obviously this concern pops up through the first five songs – all barn burners that share vast similitude. This includes the hard-hitting opener “Here’s Your Future,” the poppy “I Might Need You To Kill” where you’d never imagine the line “Locusts, tornadoes, crosses, and Nazi halos” would actually be made catchy, and the hot “A Pillar of Salt.” Literally as a cut-point, the sixth song “Test Pattern” starts the drop-off on the second half of the record that is only partially saved by the final two numbers “Power Doesn’t Run on Nothing” and “I Hold the Sound.” In line with previous efforts, the Thermals playing continually sharpens and makes you believe that bands playing ‘post-pop-punk’ can impress.
Generally, when you here that Thurston Moore is attached to a project you expect it to be eccentric and esoteric, and probably with a heavy dose of noise. Yet, given Sonic Youth’s recent spate of relatively catchy records that Moore stereotype has dulled – well until this four-song record. To Live and Shave in L.A. is actually a regular outfit consisting of Tom Smith, Rat Bastard, and Ben Wolcott whose previous record The Wigmaker (in 2001) set a basis for experimental, etchy moods. For Noon and Eternity, TLSILA had Moore, legendary producer Don Fleming, Mark Morgan, and Andrew W.K. add their creativeness to the movements. For 99% of the listeners out there, the twenty-four minute opener “This Home and Fear” will crush any idea of moving on to the next three. The first ten minutes of the next track “Early 1880’s” offers some nice moments before words are spoken; a fault that is continued throughout “Percent Obstruct Street.” The closer “Mothers Over Silverport” might actually get confused as being to rock. Noon and Eternity is not for most folks, particularly if you’re not in art school.
Umbrellas Following up their strong 2005 self-titled debut, the ten-track Illuminare picks up the poppy shoegazing and pushes it into even more accessible and appealing music. With Scott Windsor (vocals/guitars) as the man pulling the strings and filled out by co-conspirators Chad Copelin, Nathan Price, Eric Arndt, James McAlister, and Ryan Lindsey, Umbrellas stake their claim as one the best indie pop bands going. Illuminare begins on “Boston White” with waves of mellow melody before moving onto the more uptempo “Again & Again” and its dance-filled chorus. “Crooked” also sells you with a hot chorus, but that’s the last time Umbrellas simply resort to a fool’s appeasement. The rest of the record echoes the mellow pace of “Boston White” with highlights coming from quasi-ambient “Idle & Waiting,” the gorgeous pop of “Angel or Demon” (sure to be heavily played and licensed), and the closer “We Fall.” Unlike Umbrellas’ last record where “The City Lights” singularly stole the show and you were left with little else, Illuminare is more evenly spread and a higher level of satisfaction.
V/A Sooner than you thought one could come up with a third Saw movie comes its soundtrack replete with the heavy bands you’d associate with a headcase murdering dude. Big names fill this soundtrack, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into to excellent songs. The highlights come from opener “This Calling” by All That Remains, Static X’s “No Submission,” the later half of Slayer’s “Eyes of the Insane,” the hard smashing “Walk With Me in Hell” from Lamb of God, Avenged Sevenfold’s “Burn It Down,” and Mastodon’s “The Wolf Is Loose.” Among the songs that would make you volunteer as one of the victims in Saw include the horrific terrible offerings of Blue October, Drowning Pool, Hourcast, The Smashup, and Ghost Machine.” If you don’t have these songs yet, fans of the film may want them to relive the terror.
Your Eyes My Dreams Weapons aren’t useless when they’re mind bullets, right? Extending Indianola’s contemporary metalcore lineup, Delaware’s Your Eyes My Dreams offer the typical throwdown, machine-gun guitars, throaty vocals hardcore of many that have come before. With that in mind, Your Eyes My Dreams excel when they take detours from the ordinary and mix the mechanism particularly through soaring guitar riffs. There is no better example of this than the excellent “Anna Rebeka” that crushes the opener “Complacency Killed the Cat.” Those that bring similar expressions include “When the Going Gets Rough,” the lengthy “Even An Angel Fell,” and the galloping “Treason, War, and the Tyranny of Evil Men.” Given this display, Your Eyes My Dreams should do well in the hardcore world.
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