ALGERNON CADWALLADER - PARROT FLIES
philly kinsella worshipers have done it again, all while making this sound more of their own on their sophmore release. for those who worried about the loss of their second guitarist, and the interwoven dynamic that provided- have no fear. the first full length offering of this reborn trio is as full as ever, if not more. this self produced and release masterpiece may not have come up on the popular spectrum, but this group is certainly beloved amongst the org crowd. this group hit me around a time when cap’n jazz was one of my favorite groups, making it hard to decipher what they were striving for. was it a tribute? was it a hack? all I knew is that their debut, “some kind of cadwallader” was played over and over for some indescribable reason. what really makes their follow up beautiful though, is their ability to maintain a similar energy through the wielding of their own production. this band has always had such an expansive sound to me, and have managed to maintain that with the loss of a member. not to mention, that their live set is one not to be missed. as good luck guitarist matt tobey anticipated in this release with a statement to if you make it dot com, whether they are crowdsurfing or being crowdsurfed on, this group manages to pull off their intensely complicated song structures flawlessly. all adorned with a cut paper parrot, in continuing tradition of their first release, algernon remains a consistant fixture as they find their own roots within the kinsella realm.
SPRAYNARD - FUNTITLED
another three piece that totally caught me off guard this year was this group. after listening to the familiar sounds of cut and paste, i made a deduction simimilar to many other people i have related to. this group draws heavily from the fast paced, heartfelt pop punk, that has become a staple of the east coast, especially with the help of bands such as latterman and the bands that they spawned. sometimes familiarity is offputting and although their first release didn’t necesarily grab me, I knew upon being signed to asian man records, that their second release would be one that garnered great ammounts of attention. after missing them at this years smash it dead fest, just days after our mutual friend mitchell dubeys untimely death, i was quite devistated. mitch was someone who always inspired me to listen to music in a new light, to embrace old traditions whilst breathing life into it with enthusiasm. soon after, i was able to catch them at get better fest in keene, nh as the headlining act. It wasn’t till then, that I really got what this band was all about. After two full days of a sometimes monotonous breed of punk rock, spraynard hit me with their notoriously short and energetic set. at the close of the fest, as i stuck around to help some friends break down, i was approached by bassist mark. we had a really refreshing conversation, because for once someone in a band was interested in talking to me as an enthusist and not as someone who they saw as a stepping stone to the next peak in their career. its nice when you meet sincere people, that honestly love what they are doing, to the point that they just appreciate the people they meet, no matter what they stand for. in the next few days, they released funtitled on one of my favorite labels if you make it. that morning started the onslaught of my repetition, and it lasted throughout the entirety of the summer. great honest dudes, great energy, doing things for the right reasons, what more can you ask for?
ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD - KNIFE MAN
sean and ben are just two guys who can never seem to dissapoint me. on their third asian man full length, they take the aesthetic they approached with the hand of jeff rosenstock in their last record and push it even further. though there is musically not a whole lot of new territory, it is the energy and unique lyricism that carries this release as always. i’m really glad that this duo has become more comfortable re-approaching the full band context because these songs really do give this release the propper weight that allows the acoustic tracks to breathe. Songs like “hate rain on me”, recall such influences as defiance ohio and this bike is a pipe bomb, while the acoustic tracks really bring together a whole realm of popular music that is addressed in a folk context. the melodies are catchier than ever, and I’m really glad that there has been more liberty with overdubs in this release. because although the early acoustic albums still stand up, there is something that I love about the aditional statements made. whether it be the uniquely simple guitar solos or the kazoo acompaniment, i think these aspects really give this band a new life, with broader horizons. but what really makes this songwriting beautiful, is as always, these songs stand on their own and are a testament to the chemistry of these two empathetic humans.
FUCKED UP - DAVID COMES TO LIFE
fucked up has been a band that I’ve been exposed to for a number of years, but unfortunately haven’t really consumed until this release. i’d heard their praise coming from all corners of the musical world and i’d read and appreciated their statements on the music industry in regards to the south by southwest music festival. i will admit, that after downloading all 80 minutes of this release, i was a bit skeptical that it would grasp my attention in its entirety. but some of my friends whom i trust their musical taste the most, enlightened me to the operatic function of this album and insisted that i listen. it really did glaze over me at first, as one almost monotonous statement that seemed a bit too familiar for this aesthetic. but once i was able to actively listen, i heard something else. three simultaneous guitars, that I didn’t really hear until I used headphones for the first time. then, these grandiose and sometimes overbearing walls of guitars were given a new individual regard. what i initially took as a basic chord functions, standard in rock music, were seen in their atomic element as 4 individual parts that all served a purpose in this epic. once i understood this, as well as the record’s breath in four movements, it all made sense. though it can easily be mistaken for a pretentious act, fucked up knows just what they are doing. it’s not necesarily an acquired taste, but you need to understand the artists intention before it can resonate, and I can certainly appreciate that.
AMPERE - LIKE SHADOWS
15 songs in less than 15 minutes, seems like a gimmick right? wrong. Though this release is certainly one of the most intense releases that I believe hardcore has seen all year, it is also the one that seems indescribable. So I implore you to just listen, and this might make sense.
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