Top Sounds - B
BANNER PILOT - Collapser {Fat Wreck} Second album (but first for Fat) from this Minneapolis-based quartet. On first listen, it lacked identity and melted into the plethora of similar sounding, polite bands. You wanna know the sound? Think a mature Pop-Punk band with less superficial lyrics and more structured arrangements. Successive plays proved these fellas have a bit more depth. You can clearly hear a kinship with label-mates SMOKE OR FIRE and LOVED ONES in hard-hitters ‘Empty Lot’ and opener ‘Central Standard’. I also heard ‘24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ era JAWBREAKER, especially in the raspy vocals and tense, fractious arrangements best shown in ‘Greenwood’ and ‘Drains To The Mississippi’. Elsewhere album highlight ‘Farewell To Iron Bastards’ has a bitter chorus that just falls outta the speakers while closer ‘Write It Down’ includes an excellent bass-driven breakdown before the guitars build into a fading crescendo. Only downer is ‘Starting At An Ending’ which is slick and decidedly nice. Overall, this is a deceptively effective record that, had it been a touch rawer and a little more abrasive, may have been the most impressive album from a new Fat Wreck signing since the DEAD TO ME debut. (31.10.09)
TIM BARRY - Manchester {Suburban Home} Second solo album from AVAIL’s frontman and a more sedate, downbeat offering it is compared with the relatively upbeat debut. It opens in fine form with ‘Texas Cops’ before ‘On And On’ presents one of the most sombre offerings from the BARRY muse so far. It’s actually the more composed, reflective moments that really hit - ‘5 Twenty 5’ and the stunning closing pairing of ‘222’ and ‘Raised And Grown’ being highlights while of the up-tempo tracks it’s ‘Sagacity Gone’ and AVAIL’s ‘This November’ that stand out. Of all involved in Punk today, no other performer is more suited to the introspective country/folk album than BARRY. His vocal has a sincerity coupled with a gritty realism few others can match. He writes lyrics that reflect every day life but on a global scale - check ‘South Hill’ or the simply amazing ‘Ronnie Song’ for evidence; down-to-earth words from someone having lived (living) a full life but without feeling the need eulogise it. Anyone who grasps the power of AVAIL and the depth of experience behind the songs will appreciate this. If ‘Fifth Wheel’ registers for you on par with ‘Scuffle Town’, well, this will be a very satisfying listen. (27.07.09)
BLACKLISTED - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God {Deathwish} From memory, these fellas split up at the 2006 Sound And Fury Fest. Now, this Philadelphia HC band is back with a crushingly heavy and ferocious HC attack. The 11 tracks here fly by in a relentless sub-20 minute blur. Gotta say, there are way too many Metal breakdowns, grunting and riffing for me. While the likes of ‘I’m Weighing Me Down’, ‘Self Explosive’ and the Greg Ginn-esque guitar work of ‘Matrimony’ all impressed, most of the remainder was just too 108 gone Metal for these spiky ears. Kurt Ballou’s production certainly gives the disc depth and power, but more ‘Core and less Bore would certainly be the way to go. (10.01.09)
BLACKOUT - Stop The Clock {Profane Existence} Much as I liked this Minneapolis band’s debut album, the poor mix/ mastering really let it down. It’s good to see the band learnt from that because, from the opening burst of ‘Gears’, this drops with the force of Shakespeare’s Complete Works after being accidentally picked up by Ozzy. The sound is full-on Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll much like MOTORHEAD having a fight with ROSE TATTOO before POISON IDEA appear to clean up the scraps. ‘Lost Sight’ sees a change in pace as it drops down to a sludgy Crust groove before speeding up to a punishingly relentless attack. Other highlights include ‘Every Day’ and ‘Jargon’. Although is sounds crisper than the debut, I gotta say the vocals are still a tad lacking (in fact, ‘Wheels Of Sin’ sounds little more than the sound of a 65-yr-old with a 60-a-day smoking habit). Get that right and #3 could be a scorcher. (13.07.09)
BORN/DEAD - The Final Collapse {Prank} Yes, this was released nearly two years ago! YES, it’s been in the review pile for over a year. Why? Because I’ve played this slab of noxious Hardcore Punk weekly since I received it trying to find some objectivity; and I’ve failed. Oakland’s BORN/DEAD continues its path of devastatingly bleak yet effective Hardcore resolutely laced with an Anarcho feel. From the opening fuzzed bass onslaught leading into pummeling drums, droning feedback and the bludgeoning riff of ‘Barricades’, it’s clear that the band has returned to its Hardcore roots if mixed with the Crust influence that made ‘Endless War/ Repetition’ so great. The dual vocal blitz of ‘Nuance’ provides the album highlight while the closing ‘Assault’ opens with a DEAD KENNEDYS vibe before slamming into a full-throttle POISON IDEA attack. Elsewhere there is a stellar CRESS cover and a return of the seismic dual-vocal barrage on ‘Sirens’. Comparisons maybe drawn to TRAGEDY, but for me, BORN/DEAD represents the peak of what Hardcore Punk should represent: confrontational, opinionated, angry, political, intelligent and raging, foot to the floor Hardcore Anarcho Punk Rock. What more do you need? (14.01.10)
BURNING IMAGE - Fantasma {Alternative Tentacles} It’s been a massive 20 years since the last album by this Californian Deathrock band. In that time, the band has written ten inventive, powerful and atmospheric slices of Goth-tinged tunes that mix ‘Weathered Statues’ era TSOL with the potent dynamic of SOUTHERN DEATH CULT. Add on the production and general depth of sound of KILLING JOKE and the sneering effrontery of PUBLIC IMAGE LTD and you have the idea. It opens with the majestic ‘I Am Alive’ followed by the equally accessible ‘Despair’. The album then plummets headlong into flanged guitars, swirling dramatic arrangements and a sound so dark that it makes the SISTERS OF MERCY sound positively sun-tanned. It’s compulsive stuff, slightly unsettling and apocalyptic, with only ‘Mr. Dark’ reverting back to loose, energised Rock ‘n’ Roll. This line-up features three of the original band members, with Anthony Leyva from the 2003 line-up filling in the bass spot. Unquestionably a release that proves dynamics and atmosphere can also possess a bite on par with that of a rabid wolf. (27.07.09)