Alaska - Shrine

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     When I think of the sprawling wasteland that is the Las Vegas valley, I rarely think of anything other than shattered hopes, dreams lost at the blackjack table and another early morning spent squandering your kid's college fund just to pay back your bookie. Sure, I may be speaking from experience, but that's beside the point. It's not often I encounter a band from that area who can make me feel the sort of joy, lightness and elation a really good Durban Poison joint makes me feel. I've found that in Alaska. Never before has there been a more befitting moniker. 

     This wonderful band of lovable goofballs have crafted a record filled to the brim with so many posi anthems it's almost impossible not to grin like a bastard the whole time you are listening to this. I mean, doesn't everyone need a little chill in their desert heat? This record has it all. A bit of twinkle and math, some truly beautiful indie rock flourishes and those completely necessary and totally well-formed buildups that every great post-hardcore band should know how to incorporate into their songs to make them more than merely mediocre. The vocals are strong and confident from the sung to the screamed and do so much more than just merely float along with the music. They act as another instrument entirely while complimenting the structure and adding another layer to the already swelling soundscape. Alaska has perfected the formula and effortlessly turned that shit on its ear. This is one of the most exciting records I've heard this year and one of my favorite releases of the last few.

     These aren't merely punk songs or emo songs or post-whatever songs. These are modern psychedelic masterpieces written with a flare for the dramatic and a true sense of urgency and dynamics. With lyrics that are vague & opaque enough to make even the most grizzled beat poet proud, I imagine this is what Syd Barrett would be writing were he a 20-something emo kid living in Nevada.

     On a side note, the gentlemen who make up this wonderful ensemble are some of the nicest, kindest, most respectable house guests a show promoter could ask for. So, that may make my love for them a bit biased. Either way, you would be a fool to sleep on this record.

     If you need a comparison, how about mewithoutYou jamming with Foxing while Manchester Orchestra takes bong rips behind the mixing board. Or not. Just listen, make up your own mind and form your own opinion. 

     

Women In Tragedy - Medusa EP

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Here we have one more from Toronto. If that city doesn't stop churning out the good shit, I might have to abandon my beloved Seattle and sneak across the border to take up permanent residence there. Women In Tragedy have won me over with their Post-Punking/Post-Rocking by way of Screamodelic hysteria. The four songs here alternate between somber listlessness and a jagged, slashing madness. If you were to combine all your favorite parts of Neurosis, Sed Non Satiata, The Pax Cecilia, GoGoGo Airheart, I Pilot Daemon, Maudlin Of The Well and Ceremony, you would just about come close to how good this EP is. There isn't much more I can say about this band other than the fact that I have been completely and continually floored by these songs with each listen. After my 9th listen in a row, I am still not tired of this. That is testament to the endearing power of Women In Tragedy.

Sun Eater - Sun Eater EP

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     Normally, stoned-out, EPIC Psychedelic Rock isn't the first thing I think of when I think of Tacoma, which is where Sun Eater call home. Ben, who plays Bass and sings in the band was nice enough to send a review request my way, and seeing as how there are so many things that I adore about our neighbors to the south, I figured this would be an easy sell. I didn't know how right I was going to be. I have been mesmerized by these three songs for the last... What day is it? 
     Listening to these songs is like taking a reefer-laced space trip to the outer reaches of your own mind. The dark corners reveal themselves to be nothing more than repressed memories of a childhood spent exploring the dense forests and dead-end streets of another unfamiliar town. Deeper down the rabbit hole we fall, until we have only our own paranoia and insecurities to keep us afloat. There, some stoned rambling for all of you to coincide with this well-crafted Psyche masterpiece.
     There are very few vocals on this EP. You will hear Ben's voice near the tail-end of the title track and that is all you get. When the vocals did finally kick in, I was completely floored by what I heard. I was expecting some deep wail like Sleep or Dungen. What I was confronted with was a rabid beast, backed into a corner, screaming as if his life were on the line. That is one thing that really sets Sun Eater apart from the rest of the pack. These songs pack a punch that can only be described as dirge-heavy Hardcore-esque. Almost like a Jesus Lizard or later-era Black Flag or something...
     This genre has definitely been bogged down over the last few years with run-of-the-mill bands playing quasi-spiritual rock with little to no feeling or heart. Bands like MGMT, Stardeath And White Dwarfs, The Mars Volta and even The Flaming Lips to some extent have been lumped into this "Psyche" category due to the fact that they are "out there" enough to make dumb college kids feel like they are being dangerous and different by listening to these no-talent clowns because they heard a 30 second flash of some song on an American Apparel commercial. There is nothing forward-thinking or individualistic about any of that. Fortunately, Sun Eater are in no way, shape or form associated or affiliated with hackneyed fakery like the above mentioned bands. This is very dark, very honest drug music for the modern age.
     Fans of Marijuana, The Black Angels, Quest For Fire, Dead Meadow, Electric Wizard and Sun Araw will probably enjoy this. I am a fan of all those things and I enjoy this. There is no reason you shouldn't.

Call your friends, roll some joints, scatter the pillows on the floor and turn the stereo up LOUD!!!

Chambers - La Mano Sinistra LP

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Figured I would throw this up real quick, even though I know it has been posted elsewhere incessantly. I have been sitting here for hours listening to this over and over... And over. Mind is blown right now! Chambers are a five piece from Italy featuring former Violent Breakfast members, which actually isn't a bad starting point when trying to decide where and how to begin describing this band. There are seriously heavy Post-Rock elements surging throughout this record. But unlike Violent Breakfast, the vocals here are less screamy, less chaotic... Utilizing more of a deep, growled bellow that still makes my ears ring in the best way possible. Some of these songs almost take on a southern Sludge or Crust thing at times too, relying on a steady guitar gallop that reminds me a bit of Tragedy or Ekkaia. There are also tons of spaced-out spoken word interludes that really only add to the overwhelmingly oppressive feel and weight of this record. Like Planes Mistaken For Stars tripping out on the new Death Mercedes LP while Baroness paints them in the nude. This has been the perfect album to listen to as the two cookies I ate around an hour ago begin to take hold on my brain.