Maidens – Shallows

November 25, 2011 • self-released

Another day, another sludge band to listen to. I don't even know how to start these reviews off anymore since I do so many of these.

Maidens waves the atmospheric sludge banner high, piggybacking right off the great bands of the genre. However, they don't reach much farther than that, and the EP is definitely lacking in the originality department; the opening to first track sounds like it was almost lifted wholesale from an Isis song (for the life of me I can't remember which; maybe it was Cult of Luna?). Now, I love Oceanic and I don't really mind hearing a bunch more music that sounds exactly like it, but this is really blatant. (At least their Bandcamp tags prove they're open about it.)

With that out of the way, Shallows is a pretty well-done record. The songs aren't the most engaging I've heard, but there are plenty of good riffs, some really nice and tense buildups, and great production on it. The atmosphere itself isn't particularly dark or oppressive, more introspective and neutral, but that's not really a bad thing.

Anyway for an early EP it's definitely not a bad start. I've heard their more recent album and I can't say offhand if the originality issue has changed any in the last two years, but even that aside Shallows is still worth a listen.

6

Capdownd – Civil Disobedients

May 01, 2000 • Household Name Records

While hardcore punk took a pretty big nosedive after the '80s and has only recently started to resurface (in my eyes, anyway), there are still a few good albums from that in-between period floating around out there. And apparently all the good '00s stuff is ska-hardcore fusion à la Leftöver Crack (not that I have a problem with that!). Capdown is basically a lighter and more fun version of that style, and pulled together a really good album.

Most of the album is pretty standard early-eighties-influenced hardcore with the polish of the late '90s, a good combination to start with. Ska is something I'm generally not a fan of, but it's mixed well into a few of the songs, although you won't hear as much of it as you might expect. Like Leftöver Crack, the horn section actually does exist, but it's very downplayed and barely even used. The exception is some extensive saxophone work, which is really well-done most of the time, playing both support and soloing roles. There's some dub thrown in as well (of course), and while I never really cared for dub this is a marginally more interesting example of the genre for me, especially with it being a bit more noisy and dissonant than usual.

The album does suffer a bit from low-level unoriginality; the melodies and riffs themselves aren't terribly original, so things definitely drag on in the second half. But things like the sax and scratching other gimmicks manage to keep things entertaining anyway. For me, Civil Disobedients is the kind of album I throw on for aesthetic appeal, when I want something a bit less dark than Fuck World Trade.

Maybe I don't listen to enough ska to see this sort of music as silly, like some people seem to, but that's okay. I still enjoy this sort of cynical, self-aware punk and this album nicely filled a hole in my collection; I'm happy to have heard it.

7

Dirk Frazel – Randy's Bacon

June 17, 2013 • self-released

This blog is quickly becoming The Place For Reviews Of Emo Bands On Bandcamp. Not that I have a problem with that; more good stuff for me to listen to. Today's entry is ultra-DIY band Dirk Frazel, whose style is pretty typical emo, though it's quite good stuff.

These are catchy tunes; the band pulls out one or two neat rhythms and riffs in each song. There are some complex and interesting guitar lines, and the music is relatively aggressive compared to most "twinkly" stuff (probably due to the guitar distortion). The drumming is really neat as well—very expressive and interesting for this kind of music. My biggest problem with this EP is definitely the vocals, which are really poorly-done. On the other hand, you can't even hear them 90% of the time since they're so buried in the mix. (To me, this seems like a bad case of self-consciousness. Don't worry, you'll get better!)

All in all, a fun little release by a band that is showing some promise (as long as they smooth out those vocals). Here's to hoping we hear something new by them soon.

6

Curmudgeon – Amygdala

June 10, 2013 • IFB Records / Not Normal / Parade of Spectres

Curmudgeon plays a dirty, gritty hybrid of powerviolence and crust punk with some slower, sludgy sections as well. It's no big surprise these days, and there isn't much about it that makes it stick out of the flood of similar modern bands. Granted, they do play well, and the production sounds quite good. There just wasn't a lot that jumped out at me about them.

Amygdala is well-done and fun to listen to, but it's somewhat forgettable. The band shows promise, though; I'd love to see what a full-length from them might be like.

5

Varsity Cheerleader – Death to Denton

May 7, 2013 • self-released

Varsity Cheerleader is just a little punk band from Texas, but they sure do make some good stuff. A bit derivative, perhaps, but absolutely worth listening to in its own right.

Death to Denton is some pretty basic old-school punk rock, with plenty of pop punk and a bit of melodic hardcore thrown in, giving it a very early-'90s vibe—kind of like early Descendents or what Minor Threat might have sounded like if they'd lasted a bit longer (maybe). It also has a very well-polished production and a very thick sound (maybe that's what makes it feel '90s).

The riffs and songwriting in general are both really good, leaving songs that are catchy as hell; and it's impressively fast as well. The vocals are the EP's weak spot, as they are a bit buried on some tracks and don't have quite as aggressive of a delivery as this sort of music demands. Interestingly, they get better (and louder) as the EP goes on, so maybe it's an issue they've already fixed?

Anyway, worth picking up (and it's free anyway, so why wouldn't you?).

7