Reviews for February

Best of the short and long player

This month it’s all about brevity, except when it’s not. First off, how is it three of my favorite outside-the-box thinking guitar bands all released incredible new LPs this month, all of which will probably end up on an end-of-the-year list? And furthermore, how are bands still releasing 7”s? I’m not complaining, I’m all for it. But this month is heavy on the EPs. Nothing wrong with giving people a taste and expecting them to want more. And then there’s the ones who gave us more and I am satisfied with the offering. 2025 already coming strong with great new music, even if nearly everything else in the world stinks worse than an old diaper found on a beach.

FACS, “Wish Defense”

Yes, I once thought Facs were too artsy for me (and I like artsy shit). Yes, I was wrong and I have grown to love their records. And yes, since “Life In Decay” was released I have gone backwards and checked out every one of their other records. So I am fully prepared now to give a well-informed take on their newest offering “Wish Defense”. I think their last two albums took their experimental guitar work the furthest, as well as an overall slower tempo, while “Wish Defense” reels things in ever so slightly. Perhaps it’s the more upbeat songs that almost have some hooks (primarily among the deft bass work) at play that perhaps harkens back a bit to earlier records a little? Maybe it’s songs that are overall a bit shorter than what they were doing on their last couple albums (not by much though)? Or maybe I’ve just grown accustomed to their completely unique take on no wave, or post-punk, or experimental, or whatever you want to call it weird guitar music that is as bewildering as it is enchanting. I’m here for it. Their music initially sounds like a puzzle until you unravel it and realize that these songs are exercises in layering cool, otherworldly sounds within a simple framework that comes off as brilliant. Bonus kudos to printing the inside of the record jacket with a checkerboard. I encourage ska fans to get tricked by this so they can listen to cool music instead.

CHILD BITE, “Smog & Viscera” 7”

All hail the mighty 7”, a format being largely discarded these days due to basic economics (did you know it costs nearly the same to press a 7” as it does an LP these days)? Child Bite still retain a hold on the days of yore when you could get a sampling of some awesome tracks, they were cheap to make, and you could do weird shit with the art because half the time bands were making the packaging themselves. And since the band is known for always going all out on their presentation this record also looks top notch from what I’ve seen. But are there tracks? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Did you think Child Bite would falter? You get three rippers, full of their mish-mash of punk weirdness/Dead Kennedy-isms as filtered through occasional metallic asides, thrash insanity, and noise rock fuckery. Indeed, the band do not deviate from their M.O. But when your usual is a varied stew that works alarmingly well and keeps the mania going how could that ever get boring? If this is your introduction to their prolific catalog it’s a fine place to start, then allow yourself to fall into the rabbit hole.

SPARES, s/t

A relatively new Portland band throws their hat into the ring with this debut release, which is a six track 12” that I’m not quite sure passes for an EP or LP? Is there some in-between ground for that? Whatever you want to call it Spares falls into a sort of mid-aughts kind of aggressive emo without being cheesy, focusing more on technical skill and having bad ass gear, but not so much they lose their way in knowing how to write a song. And while maybe that’s what it sounds like to the casual listener I bet if you were at a party with these guys and you said ‘J. Robbins’ loud enough they’d all perk up and gravitate toward you eager to go in deep on how one of them caught Burning Airlines back in 1999 and ‘was never quite the same’. There’s more than a few instances of guitar-tapping leads, and politcal-leaning lyrics (without being overt) that fluctuate between talking and shouting, and if you ever see them live they are so much louder than you would expect a band like this to be. They shine brightest on the last two tracks with “The Din” simply showing off excellent songcraft and hooks, while “Time Drills” closes out as a fast-paced ripper like a getaway car.

VULTURE FEATHER, “It Will Be Like Now”

There’s a wonderful quality about records that can draw you in mysteriously and then unravel to reveal more and more layers after the 20th, or 30th listen. But there’s also something to be said about immediate gratification. When I first came across Vulture Feather I felt the first thing, even though their style is rooted in finding a great melody and repeating it through the length of a song therefore giving the impression that their music is simplistic. But that first LP of theirs was so goddamned great that when it came time for something new I desired the same thing. Why fuck with perfection? So with the release of “It Will Be Like Now” I’m feeling the latter thing I mentioned a few sentences back- immediate gratification. This is exactly what I want from Vulture Feather- a record just as good as the last one and giving the listener more of those awesome melodies and soaring vocals. I’m selfish like that, sue me. It’s total and complete Lungfish worship and the closest thing you’ll find to a band doing it right without resorting to straight-up mimicry. And still Vulture Feather stands on their own. They are their own band and not just a tribute act doing a niche thing very well. They excel at their own particular niche and each song here is like a journey through nature on a spring day, eyes wide open and excited for what’s ahead, a refreshing and positive state, taking in the world around you.

CLOAKROOM, “Last Leg Of the Human Table”

The world kind of sucks but at least we all live in the same timeline as the existence of Cloakroom. The band is four full lengths in and they continue to experiment, evolve, tinker, and push their own boundaries perhaps more on this record than any other they have done to date. The best part is it’s still fully, completely them. You know exactly who you’re listening to, right from the crunchy feedback that kicks off “The Pilot” which is very much a Cloakroom sort of song you’d expect, to the gentle country-tinged pop ditty “Bad Larry”. This record also exhibits Cloakroom playing a few, I’ll say it, fast songs. Bet you didn’t see that one coming. Nearly half the tracks on this are faster, upbeat, and, at times, kinda heavy (just skip to B-side banger “Cloverlooper” for proof). Still, if you loved Cloakroom for their slow-motion atmosphere of previous outings you get a big dose of that as well, especially between the two brief interlude tracks and closing experimental/almost dub, track “Turbine Song”. There’s no band pulling off the kind of boundary-pushing shoegaze/slowcore (heck, I mentioned they play fast on some of these songs)/Hum-Codeine-MBV worship in the way that they do, and turning it into their own thing they way Cloakroom does. Not a single stinker on the whole record, all hits.

THE MISTONS, “Single” 7”

Portland power-pop/garage rock mavens The Mistons return with a quick two-song outing that shows them exploring their most Wipers-worshipping doomtown gloom while butting noggins with “The Monster Mash”. Rainy-day dour punk clashes alongside an undeniable energy and momentum as the A-side is a bit slower while the instrumental B-side “Anxiety” has all the buzz of surf rock even if said surfer is trying to take their board out on the Willamette as it passes through downtown in January. My personal Mistons preference is when they’re blasting short-fast dingers as it is the closest thing to seeing them live, which is just non-stop energy. They’re bouncing all over the stage and laying it out there while still playing like their life depended on it. Their last EP and first full length before all this attests to that. But this 7” is hardly a disappointment, I just want more. Check out The Mistons, you won’t be sorry.

LVLTR, “God Bless Our Happy Home”

Who would have thought a band like this would have emerged from a band like Pulling Teeth? Full on thrashing Integrity-worship does a heel turn and starts playing depressing early Weezer rock. It’s not quite Kill the Slavemaster going Fallout Boy extreme 180, but it’s certainly not what folks who are fans of the people in this band would probably expect. And that’s fine. LVLTR (Love Letter, for those who need vowels) actually reminds me quite a bit of other awesome project bands that did/do big heavy rock outside their more known heavy, heavy bands- Gypsy (Cold World) and Big Garden (Thou) most notably come to mind in terms of sound and approach. “God Bless Our Happy Home” is a fairly quick affair- just five tracks, but it sounds like a fully realized project and not just fucking around for shits and giggles.

FALSE BODY, “Leaving To Mourn” EP

You don’t need a whole lot of time or attention to get through this one at least three times. Canadian prairie dwellers False Body tear through four tracks in about eight minutes so don’t worry about burning what’s cooking on the stove while you listen to this. They have an approach that isn’t altogether new or re-inventing the wheel, but they make a damn good wheel. They cite Nasum as a big influence, and the blast beats are certainly there without question, as are some of the pulverizing heavy parts. But I’m also hearing a good dose of Converge in some of the off-kilter leads and more fast-paced metallic hardcore bits sprinkled about without overdoing it, or going all-out worship. Also, bonus points for adding animal liberation lyrics into one of the songs as well.