Labels: Troubleman
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Ooh, these guys are different. I don’t know where to start, um, ok. Erratic emo hardcore that’s frantic sounding without descending too far down the chaos slope. Sung vocals too, though sometimes it’s hard to pick them out. I don’t know a single band that sounds much like this, although I guess they are kind of heirs to the manic emo hardcore bands like Angel Hair, but without much screamy stuff. Also, if you dig the Party of Helicopters then you will probably enjoy Harriet the Spy, they have a fair amount in common without sounding that similar (actually, I just found out they share two members, spooky!).
The style takes a bit of getting used to. At least they almost ease you in with opener, “The Forgettable Fire” which is pretty melodic and sane, structure-wise. Other tracks like “Androidgeny” are dischordant or spazzy, such as the fucked up rock that is “Girls In Bikinis” or “Getting On With The Star”, though with these you can still just about pick your way through the rubble. But just when you think you’re finally getting a handle on things, they come a long and baffle you with a confusing little number like “Octohelpme”. That one hurts my head.
Interesting lyrics, some of them unfathomable, others more obvious such as the insanely frenetic “When The Shit Hits The Commodore 64”, which is an attack on people who use the internet. Oops. The packaging is interesting stuff. I especially like the photographs of shop dummies that were taken from different angles and then used to represent the band members. They look like zombies and it made me think of that rocking film, “Dawn of the Dead”. Lots of busted typewriter stylee font for the lyrics too and an emo photo of a big bridge that has fallen apart.
Check this out if you like original bands that are hard to listen to, but actually do have something real and creative going on other than just making some poorly thought out noise with weird time signatures for the sheer hell of it.