By now you know the deal. Andrew and Birkir handpick songs, five songs, send a unique set of five to one another and each writer listens blindly. By blindly we mean that the file name (mp3's) don't come with any information. We are not to google for information and we try to write down first impressions as the song is playing. Simple! Fun!
We hope you'll enjoy discovering like we do and if all is right in the world, our blurbs might appeal to you as well. After going through this bag of joys, please go to Andrew's stellar blog - Aversionline. I did that for years and still do.
AVERSIONLINE’S TRACKS:
Track 1
Birkir: Sounds like the '90s, oh it sure does. Some Louisville type emo, but then again it could be a European band from 2004 that's informed by the US vibes of old. Why do I believe that? The accent, the drumming, the mildly screamo-ish sensitivities, and those back up vocals. France? Italy? I'm not terribly impressed. I've heard this so many times before. Ah, this is really raw in that these guys aren't the best players and this ain't very rehearsed. So it's gotta be one of those bands that hit the ground running with demos, seven inches, splits, EPs, took all that shit on the road for some long ass, nerve eating tours and then they disappeared as quickly as they arrived.
Artist: Theme of Laura
Title: Maitriser l'Impermanence
Album: 2010 Demo (2010)
Hear It (direct link)
Track 2
Birkir: Alright. This is mainstream suitable alternative something or rather. The sound is huge despite the performance’s sparsity… Aaaeeerghh, Jesus fuck balls! Remember when iTunes started playing that Helios song and I thought it was from you? It was one grab bag ago. Same thing now. I'm actually listening to Hexvessel! Christ! Okay. I'm playing song #2. What I wrote about the beginning of that Hexvessel song applies here, too. HUGE SOUND. All enveloping riff and then it pulls back and we're in Mr. Emotional and Mr. Deep-land. He's sooo tiiired of himseeeelf. Is he the man that lost? I'm reciting the lyrics. This is like Deftones meets two Icelandic projects called Vera and Ghost Aircraft. Don't get me wrong, as a "sound" or a metal/hardcore sub-genre I can totally appreciate this kinda stuff, but for me the "quiet" part isn't as strong as the heavy one, and it doesn't really allow for that typical chorus. That said, I wanna explore more by these guys and see if they offer some tracks that are a bit more surprising or involved.
Artist: Passenger
Title: In My Head
Album: Passenger (2003)
Hear It (direct link)
Andrew: This is Passenger, the Swedish "nu-metal" (essentially) band that had Anders Fridén from In Flames on vocals. They released one album back in 2003, and I've always been a fan. I wish they’d do another record, actually. Where you are 100% correct is that the verse passages are fairly weak and definitely drag the song down, but that chorus is worth a million bucks and totally saves the day for me. This is my favourite song on the album for that chorus alone. I know the lyrics are a little dumbed-down, but sometimes the borderline stupidly simple stuff strikes the right nerve and that's all it takes. Maybe I should check out Vera and Ghost Aircraft, too?
Track 3
Birkir: I hear the crackle of vinyl. A vinyl rip! Haunting opening here. Simple and effective, much like pensive '80s pop often was when it was serious. Complete understanding for simplicity and utmost trust in that uncomplicated through-line of a melody everything is built upon here. Economics of lasting music, people! "You're gone, and it's a good thing." Word. Ah, that bridge with those nervous keyboards is perfect. I love how the drums are a bit behind on the beat and sound like drums-on-top-of-drums layering. This is a great song. Have no idea who this is. So seductive. I want more.
Artist: Desire
Title: Don’t Call
Album: II (2009)
Hear It (direct link)
Andrew: Not vinyl! I don't even own this on a physical format, I bought it through eMusic. And not that old, either! Isn't it funny how often the two of us are accidentally fooling each other into firmly believing a relatively "new" song is actually 10-20 years old? Ha! This is Desire, a group I know very little about beyond the information on their Wikipedia page. They had a song on the soundtrack for that movie Drive and I liked it so much that after seeing the film I bought the entire album (their only release to date). It's really good. Based on your reaction I'd strongly recommend you pick it up. I'm pretty sure I had that Emiliana Torrini track you played me a few months ago (here) in the back of my mind when choosing this track, thinking/hoping that you might be a fan.
Track 4
Birkir: Thrash metal riff! Fuck yeah! If Invocator and Malevolent Creation had a baby. This is mean stuff. Very mean. No way this isn't Malevolent Creation! I love this band so much. Ah, around the two-minute mark I know... No doubt in my mind. Unmistakable Malevolent Creation breakdown here. This is off of Retribution man. I used to be obsessed with this album and for the last few years I've been coming back to these guys a lot as death metal becomes more complex, convoluted and retro. These guys bring the thrashing kick in the nuts that's often missing in today's death metal. Here's aggression for you. I'm experiencing a brain fart when it comes to the title of this song, though... So good. I'm playing this again just to wake myself up.
Artist: Malevolent Creation
Title: Mindlock
Album: Retribution (1992)
Hear It (direct link)
Andrew: Yep, you got it. I guess there's been a resurgence in Malevolent Creation controversy lately, but ignoring all the drama, you can't fuck with this record. For me, Retribution is the best death metal album ever. Just nonstop meaty riffs, slammin' breakdowns, aggressive speeds that never lack feel, and Brett Hoffmann's vocals are a style all their own. Always dug Alex Marquez's drumming, too. The planets aligned during this period of the band's existence, and their level of songwriting just shot through the roof. This track and "Coronation of Our Domain", in particular, have been longtime favourites of mine.
Track 5
Birkir: Can we get more snare in the mix, please? I'm kidding. This is your jam, man. This is Andrew's post-something '90s music I kept reading about on his blog all those years ago. Sounds like some Revelation band that rose out of the ashes of a more typical hardcore band. Like heavier Falling Forward. Some dudes from a couple of those type of bands get together to create heavy, serious and groovy music that isn't hardcore. I'm probably going to get nailed to a cross not knowing what this is. A classic band to some, no doubt. I wonder if anyone is listening to this right now? Out yourselves! I like how the singer has the courage to sound kinda odd and awkward and just go for it. Cool. Pretty cool guitar ideas here, but all in all this song drags a bit and in its entirety it cannot combat the mopiness that's dragging it down. Bit boring to tell you the truth, but there's some integrity in this that demands further inspection. At least I'm still thinking about this song after playing it.
Artist: Four Walls Falling
Title: Tightwire
Album: Food for Worms (1994)
Hear It (direct link)
Andrew: You're definitely in the right ballpark. It's Four Walls Falling, from my hometown of Richmond, VA; and they are indeed very highly regarded in this neck of the woods (with good reason). They started out in the late '80s as much more of a traditional hardcore band, and then their final record, Food for Worms, suddenly comes out on some Czech label and it's all dark and metallic... and of course I absolutely LOVE every minute of it. This is the longest song on the album, but I don't think it drags at all, man! The way it changes direction about 1/3 of the way through with the eerie acoustic guitars, and then slowly builds back up into that "Fuck all excuses, I won't give in!" segment is fuckin’ epic! It gives me chills! To me, hardcore like this just doesn't exist anymore, and I miss it SO MUCH. The creativity and power of the songwriting, I mean... god damn. So good. There are some cheap used copies of this CD on Amazon, so anyone that's interested should really pick one up. It's a fantastic album.
HALIFAX COLLECT’S TRACKS:
Track 1
Andrew: Yuck. Sorry, but right off the bat I'm not a fan. Four minutes dominated by breathy vocal harmonies with a little bit of maracas and faint synths/programming or something. Not for me. I guess from a technical standpoint the singing is pretty good, but stylistically I can't deal with this. The low-end pulses are weirdly oppressive when the music starts to build up. "Please fall with me. He wants to see my insides." Yikes. I can't make out all of the lyrics, but the aforementioned combined with something about "wanting a lover" and "needing a mother" suggests that this track could be potentially disturbing—full knowledge of which might actually make the composition more interesting. If this is somewhat of a departure for the group/artist there's a small chance in hell that I might like some of their other material, but... not this. Oh well.
Artist: Tei Shi
Title: Adder(f)all
Album: Saudade (2013)
Hear It (direct link)
Birkir: I honestly don’t remember where I got the word on Tei Shi and this song in particular. Possibly from some huge website like Rolling Stone, NME, NPR or something like that, after a totally random browsing quickie. But I’m glad I did, because this is pure headphone heaven. I cranked it up, soaked in the arrangements and layering, and got so immersed in the vocal melodies and this lush dream-like spell that is this song. This brought tears to my eyes. Countless repeats and obsession followed. In fact, I think this song is perfect, quite unique and unlike anything I’ve heard in a long while. I think it’s super interesting that this song conjured a “yuck” from you! I can’t help you there, buddy! If this does marinate favourably with you though, check her SoundCloud profile for the rest of this EP. It is quite diverse.
Track 2
Andrew: Thank you, sir. Much better! In fact, holy shit, you may have just followed up your worst pick yet with your best! I need to know who this is immediately, and for the first time since the inception of the grab bag, I'm 100% certain I'm going to buy this album as soon as you reveal its identity. Dry, jangly indie rock with rudimentary singing and those cool little arpeggiated riffs that I've got a major soft spot for. "The lion... ate its trainer... at the circus..." From what I can make out at surface level the lyrics don't really do anything for me, but the song's still killing me (in a good way). It's just one of those songs that strikes the right nerve and gets me all excited. I love that feeling! My gut reaction is that there's no way in hell this is new, but I could be wrong because it does vaguely remind me of Cloud Nothings a little bit. I'm thinking this is mid-'90s or something, though. Maybe a band I've heard of but never heard, but obviously something I should've heard at some point, since this is fuckin' great. If this is post-2005 I'm gonna have an aneurysm. I'll be amazingly impressed if that's the case. But anyway, yeah: BIG score here, dude. I'm all over this. Awesome.
Artist: Owls
Title: The Lion
Album: Two (2014)
Hear It (direct link) (I cannot find a link to this song nor a embeddable player. Another song of Two will have to suffice until "The Lions" surfaces)
Birkir: Ah, the respected Owls. I was happy to learn they were active again and upon receiving the promo for their latest album Two, I thought of you immediately. This band connects with me on so many levels both musically and family-tree-wise, what with the Cap’n Jazz, Promise Ring, Joan Of Arc affiliations. And the Sharks Keep Moving, Jazz June, Sunny Day Real Estate vibes found throughout their discography always had my ears perked. All in all, these guys have given me a lot of excitement with their many endeavours. I used to be so invested in “Everyone Is My Friend” from their self-titled album. Anyway, Owls is always a challenging listen. Two doesn’t waver in that regard, bunch of neat ideas, surprises and puzzling moments. I’m not a giant fan of that album, though, too many songs fall into the cracks. “The Lion” is one of the really good songs off of it. Ha, ha, ha, ha, you got so amped on this track. I think I connected you with an old friend. The Mystery Grab Bag keeps on giving.
Track 3
Andrew: Twisted feedback. This is gonna be heavy. Yep, there it is. Shit! Another keeper! And this is pretty new, isn't it? I'm intrigued, because the vast majority of new music that I hear doesn't stir me at all, but this is VERY strong. Genre-defying, too. Musically it's blasting modern black metal, but vocally it's hardcore. The production has that Sunlight/Stockholm via Kurt Ballou vibe happening. Super thick. Now the composition is slowing down a bit and hitting on some D-beat styled grooves, and there are some metalcore breakdowns, too. But even that stuff is getting peppered with droning guitar textures, and it sounds like there are even some keyboards seeping into the background as well? I'm totally clueless as to who this is, but I'm looking forward to hearing more. I've not encountered these varying approaches fused together in this manner before, that's for sure. Nicely done.
Artist: All Pigs Must Die
Title: Articles Of Human Weakness
Album: Nothing Violates This Nature (2013)
Hear It (direct link)
Birkir: “Articles Of Human Weakness” is the last song and a very appropriate closer on this great LP. With All Pigs Must Die you know what you are going to get: hyper aggression, darkness, some really stellar riffs, uber pissed off vocals, misanthropy, disappointment in humans, and memorable songs. Their releases don’t differ like crazy but make up this complete package of hate and violence. They are one of the best bands out there going for this type of stuff. So yeah, this is a relatively new band with their first EP out in 2010, you could just predict Southern Lord would snatch them up for some more. Which ended up happening. In keeping with the Mystery Grab Bag’s “I’m not gonna Google for more information,” but you are on the money with Kurt Ballou as he produced this monster and it was recorded in God City if I’m not mistaken. The band hosts members of the Hope Conspiracy (Baker sings) and Converge (Koller drums) and one guy from Boston’s Bloodhorse. I think it’s brilliant how you connected the dots. Bloodhorse was a band I was privy listening to their first demo just as it came off the computer, in the same house the drums were recorded. All this info helps me remember and keep up with All Pigs Must Die. The more death metal and Celtic Frost seeps into their music the more I like them.
Track 4
Andrew: This is either an actual old school heavy metal band, or a new band that is pretty much NAILING that classic heavy metal style. I'm guessing it's the latter because the vocals are pretty up front in the mix and have a little more of a snarl to 'em than they would've had if this were recorded back in the early-'80s. Seems to be significantly inspired by obscure NWOBHM acts. Stellar songwriting. High energy riffs, solid dual guitar harmonies, audible bass runs, and it's catchy. I'm on my third or fourth listen now and just caught the lyric "beware of the bat". I know Ryan Waste has a new band called Bat, so I'm assuming this is Bat? I hadn't given 'em a listen yet. I tend to be very late to the game on checking out new bands these days, ha, ha. But this is good. I just watched the first episode of Ryan's YouTube show "Living Fast" a week or two ago, so I know he's way into the NWOBHM stuff, and he's very much hitting the mark here. I'll have to check out the EP in its entirety.
Artist: BAT
Title: BAT
Album: BAT (2013)
Hear It (direct link)
Birkir: 100% correct here. This is BAT! Don’t you just love bands that title everything “first” after the band’s name? That’s a vintage practice. Members of D.R.I. and Municipal Waste try to travel even further back in time than they do with their main bands. This album is not bad. It’s a whole lot of fun and the songs are actually kinda good, they rip in a way that kills the “irony” vibe I get from even the most earnest bands that are going for old timey raging speed heavy metal and 1st-gen thrash. Nostalgic as hell this album hits many of my sweet spots and that’s not something I was expecting when I got a whiff of this project. The chorus in “Rule Of The Beast” is just too good. I’m happy to find that you have a sweet tooth for raw heavy, speed and thrash metal as it doesn’t really permeate your blog. Hail brother!
Track 5
Andrew: Another interesting fusion of styles. Kinda grungy, kinda noise rock-ish, the heaviness of metallic hardcore with weird indie rock sensibilities; and distant vocals that walk the line between speaking, singing, and yelling. The production is reminiscent of Kurt Ballou here as well. Nicely textured, for sure. Everything is warm and fairly clear despite the mix being densely packed. From a songwriting standpoint this one doesn't really grab me, but it's cool. Like track #3 above, I'm really intrigued by the unique amalgamation of genre-spanning characteristics with this one. It's almost confusing, but in a captivating way. I don't know if I'd be a fan, but I'd at least like to explore more.
Artist: Tidal Arms
Title: Gooski’s Ladder
Album: Tidal Arms (2013)
Hear It (direct link)
Birkir: More often than not I get super tired and drained from running this blog, going through all the promo emails and listening to so much shit in order to get some reviews going. It leaves me disillusioned and a little hopeless to be honest. But when I’m ready to throw in the towel a band like Tidal Arms happens into my lap and I get wonderfully excited about my “work” again. Easily one of if not the best album that came out last year this is the best heavy rock band in 2014. Don’t believe me? Read my review (here) and listen to “Gooski’s Ladder” and the songs and videos I posted in that review post. I have little to add to what I exclaimed in that post. Well, I’m still listening to this album on the regular and that says a lot in this day and age where I don’t listen anymore, I just check things out. Know what I mean?
Anyway. Back to your reactions! I’ve been bad at reflecting and projecting on your reactions in this Grab Bag. I promise our fans I’ll be better at it next time around. Yes… There’s a fusion of so many fine things throughout this song and album. It baffles me how they made it make sense and sound as a complete whole. The band recorded, mixed, produced and released this album themselves. So I urge everyone to buy it from them directly via mailorder or Bandcamp. I’m a firm believer that if you stop what you are doing, listen to this album from the first note to last, you’ll emerge a fan.
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