Labels: Dischord
Review by: Kunal Nandi
Anyone who knows and loves The Warmers’ self-titled album will most certainly be excited at the prospect of this new set of tracks recorded way back when, but only unearthed now. They’ll know that this trio featuring Juan Carrera, Amy Farina (presently doing her drum thing in The Evens) and Alec Mackaye (ex-of Faith) took minimalism to a point where it almost became their reason for existing. The artwork is embarrassingly simple, and the production is utterly stripped down, the guitar a lonely, surf-esque twang, every drum tap and stroke clearly audible, the vocals faltering under the exposure. But the lack of overt showiness even extends down into the songs themselves and the emotions contained within. Lonely instruments convey those emotions laid bare, making the introspective moments even more sad, the rocking sections even more fearsome. The alternative aesthetic they set out immediately puts them as much at odds with today’s overly-polished rock excess now as it did when they were active, and keeps them faithful to the punk ethic they were attuned to. Damn catchy too.