Headmusic -The Ripple Effect Compilation

It seems it's a week for compilations as as soon as Good to Die records announced their comp. Our buddies over at the Ripple Effect released a comp to celebrate their five years of blogging. The album features a whopping 23 tracks of new heavy rock bands including Hosoi Bros.

Check your head and grab the Ripple Effect's Head Music here.




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Good To Die Records compilation

Seattle based Good To Die are one of our favourite record labels and have released a compilation album of their noisy rocking bands for our listening pleasure.

The album features bands that have been reviewed favourably on this here blog like Brokaw, Absolute Monarchs, Sandrider, Deadkill, Monogamy Party plus a couple of others like Gaytheist and Rabbits.

Find the album here.



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Deadkill - Self-titled EP

Deadkill Self-titled EP, 2012
(Good to Die)

It’s as enjoyable as a music reviewer to see young bands that are looking back to the past as it is to those that totally unashamedly ignore artists that have gone before with the idea of coming up with something new rather than something borrowed. Seattle's Deadkill twist their heads back into Washington DC’s 80’s hardcore punk past when the likes of Black Flag and Minor Threat.

The vocals on “Oh God Help You” are reminiscent of a youthful Henry Rollins fronting Black Flag although the rhythm is set dowm with drumming from a more standard rock pattern. The first 24 seconds of “5150” is an intro that a number of metal bands would be proud of. After that a constipated parrot voice that typified many an early harcore band comes in and when the song slows a little in the middle the vocals fit between spoken and shouted. If there is such a sub-genre as harcore and roll “Outa My Head” fits. There’s punk ‘n’ roll music with rapid-fire dual shouted vocals which then slow into shouted instructions, “Stand tall, one and all”. The shared yelling reminds me a lot of Minor Threat but going by the song’s lyrics there’s absolutely no way these guys are straight edgers. Those wanting a long song ar going to get cheated by the ninety-second burst “Rip Off”.

This EP serves well as an appetizer as my main complaint is that like a lot of hardcore records, it’s over way toosoon. This EP can be comfortably filed between those twenty plus year old well worn Black Flag and Circle Jerks albums or those still shiny Career Suicide and Off! records. I’m willing to bet Deadkill are an energetic bunch in a live setting.

3.5/5

Deadkill on facebook



Dead kill on bandcamp

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Absolute Monarchs "1"

Absolute Monarchs “1” -2012  
(Good to die)

 If I had to sum up the music of Absolute Monarchs on “1” in a single word it would be noisy but the use of a solitary word is no good so I’ll go for four words and go thick on the adjectives.  Absolute Monarch’s sound is blisteringly heavy indie pop but really that doesn’t do the band justice or describe their music really as it could be a lot of bands and cover a broad spectrum of music.  The standard reviewer’s crutch of describing one band’s music to a number of bands always comes in handy.    Using this technique for Absolute Monarchs leads down the path of describing them as The Pixies and Fugazi colliding on a trampoline after drinking a dozen energy drinks whilst covered by a slight umbrella of Helmet.

The band definitely have a pop sensibility but expertly mess it up by letting small doses of their noisy side shimmer with bursts of distorted guitar and yelled vocals on the opening track “Attack”.  The melodic “To Hell, Lets Masquarade” is one of the band’s more accessible songs and will cause pant wetting in Pixies fans.  “Bad Taste” has sandpaper rough vocals and it’s the absolute hook-laden melodic wall of sound that pulls the listener in.  The rhythm section blusters relentlessly in “Killing The Old”.  “Sharp” sounds like Fugazi.  As does “Hide it Well” but there’s also crushingly heavier side to it that brings Helmet to mind.


This is an impressive debut album. I imagine that live these guys and girls transform their onlookers into
a monolithic writhing beast.  Oh yeah, some guy called This album is coming out in April in both vinyl and CD so whatever you’re format you’re into it may pay to buy two copies as one is likely to wear out.


4/5


Absolute Monarchs on bandcamp


Absolute Monarchs on facebook

Absolute Monarchs on  myspace

Brokaw - Interiors

 


Brokaw is the newest rock-based project for legendary bassist G. Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Sunn O))), Goatsnake, Asva) and 3 of his long time Seattle based collaborators; Rick Troy, Rich Medic, and Mike Henderson.

Brokaw mostly take their sound from 90's record labels such as  Amphetamine Reptile and Alternative Tentacles.  There's a little bit of noise rock, nomeansno style dominating bass, Morphine style phrasing coupled with vocals, somewhere between the deep voice Mark Sandman and  the funky stylings of newer Clutch.  Close your eyes, block your ears and imagine The Cows meeting Helmet with a funky bass running through the middle and you've more or less nailed "Berlin Heart".  If there's such a thing as stoner funk then "No Morphine Doctor"  nails that particular sub-genre.   "Politicians By The Pool" is a cool and catchy song but a little too close to recent Clutch.  There's an interlude in "Terms of War" that simultaneously causes thought of nomeansno and jazz musicians like Miles Davis but the song comes to a heavy sludgy conclusion.  There's Fugazi style starting and stopping "Time Ain't Now" with far clearer vocals.  The funky hard catchy noise rock ends with the upbeat telling off of "You Didn't Invent Sex".

It'll be interesting to see where other reviewers pigeon hole Brokaw since they defy being put in a certain sector of rock unless it's the broader alternative label.  There's just way too much going in the band's music to just fit them under the stoner rock tag due to one member's past.  In a time where many people say that record labels deserve to die,  Good To Die Records  prove that there are still those out there finding great music and releasing it.  This album isn't due out until January 24th 2012 but you can hear a few songs on the band's bandcamp page.

4.5/5





 

Monogamy Party - Pus City

"Pus City" is far from the possibility of a scenic place as they eye can see.  This metropolis is the creation of three piece Seattle band Monogamy Party.  There is nothing kind or beautiful in their music.   The bass and drum driven trio stab the listener in the ear with a fork and then twist it around a number of times with pliers with screaming being the objective.  Exactly whose screaming it is, really doesn't matter.  If the sound were personified it would be a rancid green-toothed puke covered  hobo living out a teenage mutant ninja turtle fantasy in a sewer puking out philosophy whilst unknowingly regressing to a toddler's mindset.

Check out "Covenant of Brother's" repitition of the phrase "This life is worse than death" because comparing this band to Old School came to mind but they're noisier than those nine and ten years old ever were and aren't as given to traditional song structures.

   This is the type of band who would be proud as punch to be told by their parent that their music sounds similar to a toilet flushing and would attempt and succeed at getting even noisier comparisons however sometimes there's often an early Beastie Boys type rap fighting imprisonment of the chaotic trio's mind-bending weirdness.

3.5/5

You can order the band's 10 inch vinyl and hear their music here.