Older But Bolder: Uh, Stuff I’ve Been Listening To Lately

Older But Bolder: Uh, Stuff I’ve Been Listening To Lately

February 4, 2012 · by jzoerner · in ,

Since I have no idea what to write about this week, I’m basically just going to tell you what I’ve been listening to and why. It’s not really so much as to persuade you into listening to it, though if you do, great.

Dodecahedron – s/t. Good stuff in the same vein as Deathspell Omega. It’s a pretty dense album musically, so more than likely it’ll take a few listens to fully appreciate the scope of the album. I listened to it three or four times when I first downloaded it on Monday and I was completely blown away. Technical metal fans will really, really enjoy this as most of the guitar work is impressive and complex. I suppose you could argue that the album has the same feel as Deathspell in the sense that after a while it begins to sound the same (but that’s a common gripe for tech metal albums) but power through it. It is a rewarding listen.

United Nations – s/t. A few years old. Great album that is stripped down lyrically and musically positioned as rapid, intense, and somewhat jarring at times. United Nations features members of Thursday, Converge, and The Number 12 Looks Like You. Most of the songs take on a political stance, while others criticize members of the music community that haven’t done their part (Refused) or created an image for themselves, only to defeat it themselves (Refused). While most of the album is grindcore-esque/oriented, some songs break down into jazzier, slower parts as a means to stir things up and offset the tempo and melody. Geoff (of Thursday)’s vocal arrangements are much more raw than usual. Great album.

Terrible Feelings – Death To Everyone LP/Tied Up EP. I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled on this band. Female fronted, incredibly charismatic sounding while lyrically always dabbling on something cynical; I’ve not really found much information about the band aside from their last.fm (which you can look at yourself, you’re a big boy/girl). Much of their music has a distinct garage-punk feel with hints of surf-punk. I use punk in a light sense, as they don’t sound like surf-punk band Night Birds or any Bay Area surf sound band. Garage-Surf-Punk is about right. Each song has something different to it that sets it apart from the song before. Recommended.

Give – Flowerhead EP/I Am Love EP. Give are probably the best band you’ve never heard of. Give sound between a psychedelic Fugazi and a garage hardcore band with hints of Nirvana. If that sounds like a lot to take in, that’s because it is. Based on my description I don’t think I need to say more. Their Flowerhead EP is up for free download at their bandcamp.

Damp Hay – Middlewestern. A lot like Modest Mouse without being a lot like Modest Mouse. Hints of alt-country, rock ‘n roll, and grunge throughout the album. Middlewestern is only six songs but well worth the listen. Throughout most of the album you’ll notice that the vocals aren’t in the forefront of the music which is fine because it lends room to the jammy, sometimes wandering guitar arrangements throughout the album. I should note, Damp Hay don’t play up their jammy-ness in an obnoxious way. If I remember correctly, this is also free on bandcamp. Recommended for fans of Modest Mouse, who want something similar but not so similar that they turn on Modest Mouse.

Bridge and Tunnel – Rebuilding Year. Another band that has been out for quite awhile but not seen the attention they deserve. Bridge and Tunnel are a lot like less bullshit, less attention seeking Make Do And Mend. Anyway, this album is full of melody and probably the best post-punk album I’ve listened to in the past three years. The singing jumps between great harmonies to Hot Water-esque growling/yelping. What caught me was the band’s interesting use of guitar effects. They’re pretty apparent from song to song, but don’t smother the song in any way. The songs are raw without sounding too desperate for the “raw” vibe. Lyrically, I almost want to compare them to Brand New-circa Deja Entendu/Your Favorite Weapon in the sense that they have angst and enough introspection to talk about it intelligently, but I can’t say that without feeling like I’ve cheaped out on Bridge and Tunnel somehow so to put it simply: the song are incredibly relevant (at least to me) without being preachy or too angsty.

Southern Death Cult – The Southern Death Cult. SDC have the musical sound of The Cure and Bauhaus’ depressed-80s goth child. Some songs are a little more poppy than others. All songs have that same sort of disenchanted romanticism of the aforementioned bands.

Well, uhhhh… that’s all folks. I’m aware that my descriptions aren’t as in-depth as some of you may want but I feel as though they get the point across. Comments, suggestions on article topics, or questions for Q&A are always, always accepted and encouraged. Comment box is below.

By: Josh Zoerner

 

Last 5 posts by jzoerner