Labels: art for blind – Black Lake – Cross Your Heart and Hope to DIY – Eat A Book
Review by: Joe Caithness
Just when it felt like epic/dark/crushing/spazzy emo mutations had worn thin and died out (they were everywhere in the 2000s), and the more churning, clean guitar, dynamic driven stuff which was developing in the late 90s could flower finally, a bunch of people discovered a photo sharing website and a link to Analphabetapolothology on mediafire…
Well a beacon (or two, or three) is shining through the fog, and flying the flame for that shit I yearn for hard. Carson Wells is one of them. They are Scottish. This record was put out by the torchbearers of good, genuinely alternative UK DIY sounds: Art for Blind and Eat A Book.
It’s hard to be original. Punk rock has gone in so many directions, and sometimes it feels like every combination of sounds that could possibly work has been done, and often to death, quickly. What I like a lot about this album is that it combines different sounds that no one dares to make because you have to be really fucking good at your instruments to even try, and let me put it this way – these guys got grooves and heart melting chord changes for days.
It makes me think of someone taking the rhythm section of the grooved out post hardcore of Kolya and later Twelve Hour Turn and sticking ten layers of Daitro/Raein style jangly wall of noise melody and rehearsing every minute of every day until it’s tighter than the Tory party. The vocals are unrelentingly sad and desperate, clear enough to hear the vital phrases and exactly the right level in the mix to make those hairs on the back of your neck prick up while walking round town.
Oh yeah and “A Great Weight” is now in my UK emo top 5 songs ever. No fucking around, jumped right in there.
Buy it. Oh yeah, and buy a few more things AFB and EAB have put out coz they are good.