Band of the... whatever: Shapes

Let's try going with impulsive.  If I can't immediately overreact with music that's new to me then I feel like what's left of my impetuous anticynical youth will perish and my transformation to bitter old man will be complete.  Seriously, new music is like my brand new toy on Christmas day or, if I were a credulous college co-ed, my new set of Hello Kitty key chains.  I'll play (with) it for days, but, in my advanced years, by the time I'm ready to show it off to my friends I'm either over it or worried that they have had that toy for months or even years.  Then I'm just the nerdy poor kid bringing a bucket to the sandbox while everyone else is playing with their Star Wars figurines.  Or worse, I make a reference to my 80's childhood Star Wars toys when everyone else is globally interconnected playing The Old Republic.  So we're gonna stop with the second guessing, the over analyzing, and the "will this be relevant?"  Who cares  It's blog.  I'll be like the rest of you who post another person's thoughts or images and reblog faster than a lonely match.com spinster refreshing her inbox (yeah, you can take it that way, too).  I'll be impulsive.

So, let's get impulsive with Shapes.  From Birmingham, UK, Shapes started off as an aggressive math rock band with quite of bit of shout-alongs mixed in among the buried, and most of the time absent, singing.  They focused more on the loud and sometimes disjointed rhythms of technical indie music.  They had that kind of Dischord Records feel going with the tones of Fugazi and the technicality of Faraquet.

On their second record, The Pasture, The Oil, Shapes looked to beef it up and tech it out some more even taking a page right out of The Fall of Troy's playbook.  Actually, the slightly ugly truth about Shapes is I could exhaustively list bands that they sound like, but they never let any of their influences fester around long enough to allow themselves to be deemed copy-cats.  They're more of an amalgamation of technical aggression that sounds strangely familiar while still maintaining some freshness.  It's never quite clear what direction they're about to swerve towards so if their music doesn't allow you to tap your foot or nod your head for an extended period of time then at least Shapes keeps the listener guessing.  With this release, they also moved the vocals up in the mix though they are still sparsely used.

With their latest effort, Monotony Chic, they take a more conventional approach to heavy rock music.  The technicality and speedy spastic changes are still there, but they also play with a little bit of space.  On this record, Shapes sound like they are dragging their guitars through the mud creating a dirtier and slower version of themselves.  It's similar to that underground Louisville rock sound, specifically Young Widows.  This style allows for more layers and fleshed out songwriting ideas rather than sledding down the Matterhorn hoping the next line they jump to continues the flailing journey rather than bringing it to a messy and abrupt ending.  Another interesting addition are the lower cleanly sung vocals which add even more depth to their new rock 'n roll leanings.

weareshapes.tumblr.com
facebook.com/weareshapes
weareshapes.bandcamp.com
bsmrocks.com

Where They Started: 2008's Get Your Learn On

 Where You Should Start: The Pasture, The Oil is probably the most interesting musically, especially technically, but Monotony Chic shows a lot of growth and is the most accessible.  It'd be a coin flip if all of their material wasn't available for streaming on bandcamp.

Time for Some Songs:

Featured Band: And the Sky Went Black

And the Sky Went Black - Scared Citizens are Good Citizens by scrapescatter

And the Sky Went Black - mathy hardcore from West Palm, Florida.  Members of ATSWB came from bands that were quite soulless so they came together to create something that was sincere and honest.  Sometimes sincerity comes out in a crushing wave of pounding metal while the honesty pours out through merciless screams.  A lot of Botch and Coalesce influence here.

Just recently added so if you like it, “Like” it
http://www.facebook.com/pages/And-the-Sky-Went-Black/190079347727433

http://www.facebook.com/scrapescattermedia

Not only is vocalist, Mike, a good guy, but he also loves beer. http://www.mikelovesbeer.com/

 

Featured Band: The Glasses Otter

The Glasses Otter - The Greek Mythology of John V by scrapescatter

The Glasses Otter - Best described by Kerrang! as “alternative noisecore” the Otter has every finger and every toe in a separate pool of aggressive abrasive music.  Guitars have the alternative rock feel, a little Glassjaw post-hardcore with the tight heaviness of The Minor Times, and the timing precision of The Dillinger Escape Plan.  The drumming is a non-stop onslaught that hints towards a Ben Koller of Converge influence and the unhinged vocals spiral through every level of a manic depressive asylum patient.  Check the facebook page for a completely mutilated Thrice cover.

www.facebook.com/theglassesotter

www.facebook.com/pages/Scrape-and-Scatter-Media

Fun fact: This was my band.

 

Featured Band: Bear

Bear - Invalids and Amputees by scrapescatter

Bear - Bizarre, erratic, carnival-esque metal from Asheville, NC.  They have that similar eerie amusement park feel as Radiation4, with some of the technical aspects of The Dillinger Escape Plan, and when it’s straightened out for the heavy head nodding trudges, the slower parts of Some Girls and Botch come to mind.  The schizophrenia of it all is reminiscent of The Sawtooth Grin.  Vocals are a combination of SG’s Wes Eisold and the first DEP singer, Dimitri.  Scrape and Scatter is currently working with Bear to get a couple of demos and an unreleased EP recorded at Jamie King’s Basement Studio (Between the Buried and Me) out to the public. 

Featured Band: The Franklin Cover Up

The Franklin Cover Up - Party Like It's 1989 by scrapescatter

The Franklin Cover Up - Boise, ID Sociopolitical punk/metal band taking their name from a non-fiction book of the same name divulging a child prostitution ring that is said to have involved many higher-ups in Washington.  Expect lyrics that cover that very subject, as well as topical lyrics about other issues plaguing our nation.  Expect the tunes to sound similar to Refused, Botch, and Every Time I Die.  The new EP was released today and is available for free at http://thefranklincoverup.bandcamp.com/
Members have gone on to be in other Boise heavyweights Bone Dance and BLACKCLOUD

www.facebook.com/thefranklincoverup

www.facebook.com/pages/Scrape-and-Scatter-Media

 

Band of the Week - The Minor Times

Masters of the Side 1 Track 1 intro.  Every release opens with a distant static-y guitar lazily building into an explosion of heavy music as Brendan McAndrew never fails to scream the word "fuck" in the first line; "I'd like to see you word fuck your way out of this." to the more anthemic (as you'll see below) "Fuck me? No, fuck you." to "Turn up the fucking static." (I usually try to edit this and keep it clean, but not this week). Yeah, I know, that sounds like some angsty Korn junk that would attract mall dwellers that swoon for any kind of foul language in music.  I've usually clung to the notion that using "fuck" in lyrics is a cheap ploy to attract the forever present angry youth demographic.  However, The Minor Times are a lot more clever and way more frightening than that.  These aren't gimmicks to lure in the simple minded.  It's an alert to warn you about the aural altercation you're about to endure.  So put up your dukes because it's too late to talk your way out of this one.

This isn't a prize fight either, it's a sweaty basement near Philly in August.  So forget the bells and whistles.  In fact, The Minor Times kind of sound like Botch without the bells and whistles. The relentless heavy churning feels a little like Kiss It Goodbye, and a few off beat starts and stops to give a nod to tech metal.  Where The Minor Times stand out are the more subtle aspects; lumbering smooth groove and a keen songwriting ability.  So many heavy bands try to find a niche, but usually are more successful (assuming they're successful at all) at finding a schtick instead.  Lost on the instant gratification generation is the ability to lead into a song (mentioned above), pulverize and smoothly transition into the next phrase without losing force, pace, or attention.  All the while still being able to surprise the listener and keep it fresh even with multiple listens. It's a good thing, too because when Mr. McAndrew changed his vocals from the higher pitched screams on the first EP (and a couple of compilation songs) to the more guttural Turmoil-esque tough guy bellows on the full lengths, it was TMT's songwriting ability that kept me interested. It's what separates them from similar sounding acts like Achilles and Engineer.  Not that those bands are bad, but The Minor Times are just more crafty.  Drummer, Brian Medlin's refusal to use a double bass pedal was also an impressive move and certainly the road less traveled in the realm of heavy music in the last decade.  Medlin is a madman behind the kit, too, often sounding like he's perfectly copy and pasted a tech metal drum session under these thick grooves.

Back before the whole social media age, people used to spam message boards with their mp3.com link... um, myspace link?  Hopefully, you remember at least one of those.  Anyway, I was on one of these message boards when one of The Minor Times members posted their band's link.  I quickly clicked to listen so that I could, no doubt, ridicule this silly spammer and tell him just how awful his band was.  I suspect it was about a year later when I was making the 5 hour drive to see The Minor Times with Ed Gein.  Couple that with the fact that The Minor Times frontman joined Ed Gein for a crowd pleasing rendition of Coalesce's "You Can't Kill Us All" and it was all worth the 5 hour drive back that same night.  Of course, The Minor Times are no more and members went on to be in Person L, Wives, and Ladder Devils to name a few.  Most of the members of The Minor Times came from a band called Inkling which was kind of similar, but incorporated a lot more singing and softer parts.

Where They Started: 2002's Chris Chambers Never Misses EP

Where You Should Start: It's very hard for me to recommend a 5 song EP over a couple of full lengths unless it is absolutely phenomenal.  And that's where we're at.  Definitely dive into the EP.  I love the higher pitched vocals.  They also have 2 songs on a Robotic Empire sampler that also feature that vocal style, but were later reworked and rerecorded with the deeper vocals for the debut full length.  I'm not saying the full lengths aren't worth getting... eventually.  If you like those deeper vocals then by all means go with one of the full lengths.

Essential Song: I would be remiss if I didn't include all of their Side 1 Track 1's







Essential Live Video: Has to be the crowd favorite.  People just like to say "fuck."

Band of the Week - Bad Mask

Since 2000's masterpiece We Are the Romans, there have been a slew of bands interested in recreating Botch's style.  If any artist is ever sincerely compared to the metalcore (yeah, I hate that word, too, but what are you gonna do?) legends then you know they've got talent and chops.  If they're able to mold the style and make it their own, then you know they've got something worth listening to.

Bad Mask are your boys. Twisting angular riffs, complicated competent drumming, odd time signatures, and even some patented Knudson slide effects wind their way across each relentless song these guys noodle through.  The vocals are actually similar to those of the band Fall Silent, but if you don't know who that is then just think of a higher pitched Some Girls-era Wes Eisold scream with a few clean parts that call to mind Alexis Marshall's drunken slurring on Daughters' Hell Songs. There's some lower bellows thrown in, as well, but honestly, those seem to work better live than on record. Regardless, Bad Mask bring back late 90's integrity to the genre, writing serious songs that are seriously good and avoid any of the trite metalcore (Dang it! There it is again) formulas.

www.facebook.com/badmask

Where they started: 2010's V2

Were you should start: They only have the 2; V2 and Strange Phrases and they're both available for free on the band's bandcamp site (http://badmask.bandcamp.com/) so why not get both? 


Essential Song:


Essential Live Video: Can't really find a high quality one, so deal


I actually found out about this band as they were getting trashed on the Lambgoat.com message board, but if anyone gave any merit to any opinion that vomits itself out on that site then none of us would be listening to anything.

Band of the Week - Duck Duck Goose

All too often with the music I have come to adore (because I have the musical integrity of a high school brat) there is the unfortunate occurrence that I may introduce a band that has met an untimely demise before you get your waxy, grimy little ears on them.  More likely, I'll drop the ball and not accidentally stumble across a band like Barstow CA's Duck Duck Goose until it's too late to enjoy them while they're still producing music and silly antics.  Now, I'm sure I'm like you. I see a daffy name like Duck Duck Goose (get it?) and completely over look a band who toured with the likes of Poison the Well until the day it's played through the speakers without me being able to see the name first.  Then it becomes clear why they would brand themselves with such a moniker: it's just fun, frenetic, fast and once you get past a certain age you should feel ridiculous for still liking it, but you kind of don't care.

It's apparent that these kids have mastered describing themselves as simply as possible when they name their first EP Noise, Noise, and More Noise.  I refuse to be that guy who promotes a band for something as inane as breakdowns in this genre because that's not a "guy." That's a kid.  I think it's over done and, quite frankly, a cheap ploy to lure in simpletons.  Consider me baited.  With tons of overdrive effects, Duck Duck Goose race through their dissonant crashes that bring to mind March on Electric Children-era The Blood Brothers with Last Night in Town-era Every Time I Die (you know, before ETID got raped by Lynyrd Skynyrd and started producing southern fried hardcore), but more fun.

There's rarely a sign of any formulaic song structure, which, of course, is pretty common for chaotic metal/hardcore. Few discernible verses, no choruses, and lots of off time starts and stops mixed with goofy riffs. When DDG throw their hair back and assume the crab position to go for the half-time head nods that often plague this genre? Yeah, they don't reach for the chug-squeee pit fall. Nope, their breakdowns sound less like Opposite of December and more reminiscent of Me and Him Call It Us. You know, like they're raising every appliance in the kitchen above their heads and slamming it on to a concrete floor? The recording certainly captures this onslaught well. As soon as the shrapnel starts to spray, vocalist Davey Ribera screeches (not unlike an aforementioned Buckley/Whitney combo) "PANIC FUELS THE CROWD" and you can tell he really hopes so.  Of course, the staying power of a borderline joke band performing in a genre that's already kind of a borderline joke is very hindered, but Duck Duck Goose made it enjoyable.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duck-Duck-Goose/133599036659691

Where they started: 2008's Noise, Noise, and More Noise EP


Where you should start: Sporting just an EP and one full length, might as well check out both.  Noise... is the more breakdown heavy of the 2 and has the better production value as well as being the chunkier release.  However, Off Yourself does show the band maturing a little (as mature as a band like this can be, anyway) and throws in some clean vocals which certainly adds another layer to the chaos.

Essential Song:



Essential Live Video:



Some other stuff: