Labels: Level Plane
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Hot Cross were playing the songs from this when I saw them make kids dance like they were possessed by a multitude of arhythmical devils and demons in Germany. And those songs sounded so good. Yet committed to record, they sound even better. These two tracks, “the eye is a tricky machine” and “in memory of morvern”, absolutely destroy and once again they join bands such as Yaphet Kotto and the Vida Blue in keeping this style of music new and innovative and so goddamn fucking exciting and thrilling. The songs are the perfect blend of killer guitar melodies that spiral around on the brink of chaos and insanity whilst the vocals are just poured out amidst desperate head clutching and t-shirt tugging. Writhe baby, writhe. Talk about upping the ante, this is top notch. For a feeble description, this is oh so original but I guess it is vaguely like Mohinder with Party of Helicopters riffage crossed with these folks previous bands (I won’t insult your intelligence). And it detonates. And it goes off. I’m down, and you can find me flailing in the pit, sweating like a bastard.
I enjoyed Light the Fuse and Run’s CD. It’s a collection of enthusiastic and eminently decent melodic hardcore. They are a good match for Hot Cross in that you could dance to them too, providing you weren’t too overweight and had the energy. “Ghost Town” veers between brooding dark parts and explodes into finger pointy hardcore bits. It’s like early Books Lie or Former Members of Alfonsin which is pretty fine in my books. Throw together some Mike Kirsch-y discordance, strong, yelled vocals and fun guitar riffing and you get LtFaR. This band oozes that enthusiasm and energy, which is what makes hardcore great. They also tack on a strange little instrumental which is very different, almost like something off a Songs: Ohia record I have, but without vocals. Interestin’.
Fine, fine, fine split 7″, definitely one of the best singles I have heard all year.