Labels: Earth Water Sky Connection
Review by: Alex Deller
I was an absolute sucker for the lp these cats shared with I Am The Resurrection, it has to be said. This release, where they get two whole sides of shiny black wax all to themselves certainly does not let me down. Off Minor, take a fucking bow.
More modern screamy hardcore I guess, but so much more than that. Because what sets this band apart from so many others is the wonderful jazz-influenced guitarplaying that flows through each song, weaving and winding alongside the jolts and jerks and hectic hissyfits, like maybe if the guys in Karate listened to Ebullition stuff as well as smooth-talking jazz. Vocals are tense and yelled, spouting personal tidbits that are almost cryptic (but not so much so that the listener can’t derive their own meaning from them), and made all the more appealing by the fact that they seem to be statements or observations made by the singer about himself or situations around him, rather than just pretending to be deep and meaningful so he can get laid once in a while, or moaning about some girl he fancied when he was fourteen years old.
The screams and shouts are puncured by moments of calm, wherein clean guitar lines are deftly picked out and drums are tinkered with rather than beaten mercilessly. One song features mournful piano notes plinked out just within hearing, upping the jazz factor that little bit more. And sometimes these little moments of tranquility, these gasps for breath amongst the noise and chaos can add so much to a record.
I suppose this would be a choice item for anyone currently wowed by the likes of Hot Cross, and this lp certainly sits comfortably alongside the racket made by that beautiful band, though with more emphasis on the jazz than the crazy hardcore flailings. Very good. Very very good.