Propagandhi - Supporting Caste

While I guess I would say I like Propagandhi as a band, I can’t really say they’ve released an album I like from beginning to end. I’ve found most of their past few releases to be way too front-loaded, and Chris Hannah’s vocal style begins to wear on me as the album progresses (especially on Potemkin City Limits)- most lines are delivered in the (caps denote a higher pitch) “duh nuh NUH NUH nuh NUH NUHHH!!!” style, and honestly, it would just get a little old for me after a while. Plus, I saw their transformation from skate-punk champs to a more thrash/metal inspired approach as a little dubious (and honestly, my eyebrows were a bit raised when the press release for this album cited Voivod and Rush of all bands as primary influences). Yet, the punk rock community at large continued to shit their pants over the foursome from Canada, so I figured I was just missing something.

That being said, Supporting Caste is the closest Propagandhi have come in recent years to crafting an entire album that I like. Sure, it may be a little front loaded. I would say the same thing about any band that decided to put a song as ferocious as “Night Letters” at the beginning of their album. Plus, there’s one song that just kind of bothers me, in the form of “Dear Coach’s Corner,” only because I wish they didn’t pull the old bait-n-switch and just let the entire song shred like its intro. That aside, it seems like Propagandhi’s metal-evolution has come to its full fruition- they’re comfortable in their new skin. Every song sung by bassist Todd Kowalski is an exercise in "how quickly can we shred ourselves to death," and they couldn't be better for it. It's no wonder dude's voice has been gone for the past few months apparently.

Lyrically, they’re still pissed as ever- but honestly, I’ve only been able to buy into their brand of sloganeering so much. This crosses over into my own personal beliefs: I believe what I do, and I keep it mostly to myself. I think that Propagandhi advocates a great deal of good causes, but should it be to the point where guilt may become present in the listener for thinking differently? There never seems to be any room for dialogue- all I ever detect is a message delivered so strong that it’s a little intimidating instead of inclusive. I don't know. It's something that will probably vary from listener to listener. At the very least, I'm thankful that they're a band that actually makes me think about what they're saying instead of just letting the lyrics fly on by while the music dominates everything.

My slight concerns aside, Supporting Caste is an album that I can comfortably file in my “Woah, I didn’t see this one coming” file. It took them five full lengths, but they’ve finally delivered something I now count among the better albums released in 2009.

-Erik

Rocket From The Crypt - The State Of Art Is On Fire

Let me start this post by saying I think Rocket From The Crypt may be one of the most consistent acts to have ever existed. No matter the release, you knew what you were getting yourself into: absolutely searing rock 'n' roll with blaring horns, and John Reis' perpetually sleazy vocal style leading the entire charge. As much as I liked a couple of the bands that came out of the whole "Return Of Rock" revival at the beginning of this decade (ie: The Hives, The Strokes), they were hardly needed to play the role of saviors, since RFTC was still trucking along just fine during that time period.

Reis also may be one of the craftiest businessmen to play the major label machine. In addition to getting RFTC on Interscope, he also convinced them to sign his other band at the time: the even weirder/more abrasive Drive Like Jehu, who put out their final album Yank Crime in 1994 before disbanding. Despite putting out most of RFTC's main LPs on major labels, Reis was also offered the freedom to put out smaller releases on labels such as Sympathy For The Record Industry. The State Of Art Is On Fire is a prime example of this.

1995 was probably the most busy year for RFTC- recording and releasing three different things by the end of the year. Kicking things off with this, then the quirky Hot Charity, and ending the year with the fucking cannonball of an album that is Scream, Dracula, Scream. A banner year, for sure.

The State Of Art Is On Fire is unique in its approach, as it was pressed on a 10" record where one side is played at 33rpm and the other at 45. As a result, the A side is a ton gritter than the B side, which actually goes as far to showcase a kinder, gentler RFTC, with some of Reis' most tuneful singing coming in the form of the song "Ratsize." As I just stated, the A side of this record absolutely slays, and it sounds like the band themselves might actually have been on fire while recording it. 3/4ths of the songs on the A-side even have some sort of reference to fire in the title. An aborted concept album, perhaps? And how about the part at the end of the A-side where everyone locks into the same riff? Chills.

Had the production been cleaned up a little more, there would be no reason any of these songs could not have appeared on Scream, Dracula, Scream. They're dually some of the harshest yet melodic things the band ever put to tape, and it's a shame that this release doesn't get more attention, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of it from Looney Tunes Records off the Hynes Convention Center T stop, and was thus pretty excited to write about it!

-Erik

Cloak/Dagger - We Are

I'm really supposed to be writing a paper right now, but this album has made that basically impossible. I know I've been slacking on this blog for the past half-month, etc. Let's get into it.

I first saw and heard Cloak/Dagger when they were opening for Lifetime right after that band put out their phenomenal self-titled album (quick note, an album that stands just as high as Hello Bastards and Jersey's Best Dancers, making for one of the best 3-for-3 runs any band has had in my mind). They played to a slightly confused crowd, most of whom were actually there for The World/Inferno Friendship Society (another quick note: while I like the band, their shows are obnoxious experiences only because you're constantly getting slammed into by very nicely dressed ladies and gents who have no other desire beyond shoving you the fuck out of their way. Like, even before the band started playing). However, they had me sold.

Perplexingly, Cloak/Dagger contains one member of the underrated and defunct Renee Heartfelt, but they couldn't be any further from that band's effective Quicksand-aping. It's been stated a bunch of other times, but Cloak/Dagger somehow manages to slip into that comfortable slot between Hot Snakes and 80's hardcore. A couple of years after seeing them, I finally picked up their debut full length, We Are, at some used CD store that is currently slipping my mind. It would be months before it came up on my iTunes on my list of stuff to listen to.

Honestly, this is not the band I remembered seeing opening for Lifetime. It's a band that's like ten times better. A great deal of this credit goes to producer Chris Owens (who also handles guitar/vocal duties in the completely batshit insane Lords), a guy whose production work I have always admired. Owens really knows how to take a band and make them sound as raw as humanly possible without it devolving into a 2-track tape hiss/fuzz mess. The drums hit like punches to the stomach, and constantly seem to be on the verge of peaking, resulting in album that completely tramples the listener. Oddly enough, I see a lot of Owens in this band's vocal style, in which phrases are stretched out and given a little upwards inflection at the end of each line.

The first song on here had me a bit worried, as it initially seems like the biggest Hot Snakes rip of the bunch, namely the song "Braintrust" off of Audit In Progress. However, the aping quickly stops once "Sunburnt Mess" kicks in, which I swear could have been an unrecorded Minor Threat song. While there isn't really anything on We Are that sticks out head and shoulders above the rest, it's of little consequence. It's an album that doesn't give you time to breathe or think about things, where total destruction seems like its ultimate goal. There's hardly any room left between songs, and just when things seem like they're going to slow down a bit, after the mostly instrumental "JC Pays The Bills," "Hollywood Hills," immediately dispels that notion.

Basically, if I had to classify any album I've listened to in the past couple of weeks as a "complete and utter shredder," it would be this one. Hats off.

-Erik

Down In The Dumps - Dumps Luck

Yet another member of the highly incestuous Long Island punk scene, Down In The Dumps managed to kick around for a good four years, contributing tracks to split 7"'s with bands like Tiltwheel, and as a member of a four band split, Red & Blue, Potboiler, and Fellow Project. Dumps Luck is the band's sole full length, coming out in 2007 on the incredibly solid Kiss Of Death Records. (Seriously, find me something that label put out that sucks, because I haven't found it yet)

They're far from re-inventing the wheel here, but you'd be a liar to say they weren't completely engrossed with what they did before they broke up in 2008 (forming Get Bent and Jonesin'). All of the usual chords are around, you know, like three or four per song at times. However, I feel that Down In The Dumps stood out from the rest of their Long Island peers in that their sound was decidedly more West Coast influenced. Pinhead Gunpowder and early American Steel seemed to be logical touchstones for these dudes, and hey, if you're going to sound like any bands, those aren't bad ones to start with.

DITD weren't mere ripoff artists though, as there is plenty of creative lead guitar work going on here. Check the stabbing, spiraling riffs that inhabit "Ex-Brothers And Ex-Lovers," or the entire outro of "Raggedy Anne," which could only accurately be described as a riff-fest.

Basically, if you're a fan of punk rock, and you're ever starting to get burnt out on the whole thing, it's good that albums like this exist to remind you why you got into the stuff in the first place. You couldn't scrape an ounce of pretension from this album if you tried. It's nothing that spectacular, but it's more than proficient at what it accomplished.

Oh yeah, this album can be downloaded completely legally from the fine folks over at IfYouMakeIt, who have become somewhat of a clearing house lately for short-lived New York/New Jersey bands. Check out the Pink Couch series while you're there, because it rules.

Down In The Dumps - "Dumps Luck" @ IfYouMakeIt

-Erik

Shorebirds - It's Gonna Get Ugly

As his post-Latterman career continues, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Matt Canino will never be able to shake that band off of his back. Everything he puts out will inevitably be compared to Latterman. Even more odd about this is the fact that Latterman really wasn't doing anything terribly groundbreaking (I say this even as a gigantic fan of the band). I would like to think that beating the shit out of your instruments, making a huge melodic racket, and singing so hard your voice goes out, your head throbs, and your face turns red, hell, the entire concept of actually giving a fuck, was something that never went out of style to begin with.

So let's back up a second, and disregard band names, how big those bands were, and who happens to be in the band, and make a general declaration: No matter what band he is currently in, Matt Canino might be one of the most consistent songwriters out there today when it comes to melodic, heartfelt punk rock. In his songs, there will be singalong parts, there will be gruff shouting, and there will be chord progressions that are incredibly simple, yet undeniably effective. The dude does a lot with a little.

Drummer Keith Henderson, Canino, and bassist Chris Bauermeister (who played in some California band called Jawbreaker. Hm...sounds familiar.) only put out one seven inch and one full length under the Shorebirds name. While their breaking up kind of sucks, at least they went out like sattelite debris crashing to earth over Siberia (heads up, everyone).

Fuck, I can't avoid it any longer. I have to drop one Latterman comparison. It's Gonna Get Ugly, the sole Shorebirds full length, takes the time tested L-man formula and injects about 50% more upbeat energy into it. Yes, that is possible. Frantic is a word I would definitely use to describe this album. It's almost as if they only had a few hours in the studio, so they played everything faster than usual. I mean, just listen to "Circles." The song absolutely rips past you in 1:17 and still manages to contain some of the best hooks on the album. Henderson rocks the 1-2 punk beat to death, and the switch to half time near the end is just clutch.

Lyrically, it's interesting to see Canino move further away from the posi-cheerleading he admitted to getting tired of in Latterman. Some of the songs could even be described as bleak, such as late album highlight "Run Away." However, the dude still loves the recurring theme trick that Latterman used a few times, this time in the form of the line "The city's exploding," which is not only the first line of the entire album, but arguably the centerpiece of the closing track. As if this wasn't obvious enough, the songs are titled "Highways" and "Byeways." GET IT? IT'S ALL LIKE, CONNECTED, MAN.

When Shorebirds was formed, Canino had just moved from New York to the West Coast (Washington state, I do believe). It's Gonna Get Ugly only goes to show that you can change everything else around you, be it where you live, your friends, your dietary habits, but some things will always stay the same, even if they appear a little different at first.

So yeah, check this album out if you can get your hands on it. It's more than worth the 27 minutes it takes to fly by you.

-Erik

Fugazi - Red Medicine

So yeah, as stated in this blog's first entry, I'm really just going to write about new stuff I'm listening to. Plus, thinking of more lists would probably get really old after a while! The first album I'll be talking about is:


It took me almost six years, but as soon as I bought Red Medicine, I completed my collection of Fugazi's full length albums (I'm counting 13 Songs as a full length, rather than a compilation album of sorts). It all started around Christmas time of ninth grade. My friends and I bought each other whatever used CDs we could find at the CD/Game Exchange in Norwood, OH. Along with 13 Songs, my friend Aaron bought me a used copy of The Ataris' Anywhere But Here. Strange bedfellows, indeed.

Needless to say, although I harbor no ill will towards Kris Roe and company, Fugazi was the band that stuck around in my mind and playlists. Joe Lally's reggae/dub inspired bass lines continually blew my mind, and the vocal interplay between Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto was always perfect in my mind. There was MacKaye, the angry one, and Picciotto, the wispy, flamboyant, desperate one. A band breakdown can not be complete without mentioning Brendan Canty, one of the most versatile drummers I've heard.

Red Medicine, Fugazi's fifth album, really represents a huge turning point for the band. Things get a bit looser, and a bit stranger. Check the insane cackling at the beginning of "Birthday Pony," or Ian Mackaye really letting loose vocally on "Bed For The Scraping." Also, while Fugazi always did a great job of writing tense, quieter songs (such as "Suggestion" on 13 Songs, whose ending scared the living shit out of me the first time I heard it), the songs of that variety on this album truly forshadow the peak they would reach writing similar songs on their final album, The Argument.

Now that I think of it, I really think The Argument is the most similar to Red Medicine. The only difference is age. It's very apparent that it's a much younger band that wrote and performed Red Medicine, due to the looseness and eager experimentation.

Coming off of In On The Kill Taker, the album that preceeded this one, saw Fugazi dulling the sharp edges that made that album so caustic. If Kill Taker was a punch directly in the face, Red Medicine is the album that slowly stabs you while you're sleeping. It's raw, refined, dirty, angry, quiet, and manic all at once somehow. After only a few listens, it's already become one of my favorite albums by this sadly "on hiatus" band. I refuse to believe they'll stay quiet forever.

-Erik