A City Sorrow Built - Ai

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For my first post in more than half a year, I have decided to write about my favorite "shitskrmz" band from Indonesia. A City Sorrow Built have graced us all with one hell of a record in this, their debut full-length. After two stellar EPs, 'Ai' continues to compound on their beautiful, sorrowful, lush and expansive take on screamy, unhinged post-rock. The songs here don't really deviate from what they had created prior, most just building on an already solid foundation of ethereality, rage & somber reflectiveness. Through the myriad highs and lows represented here, we are bearing witness to a band struggling to find truth in a world that is decaying before their eyes, struggling to find solace in lost love and the wonder and uncertainty that is tomorrow. I'm really having a hell of a time finding bands to compare them to, but if you enjoy the sounds of bands such as We Never Learned to Live, Envy, City of Caterpillar, Serena Joy, Men as Trees, Single State of Man and/or Paris in the Making, I'm sure you will love everything about this record and this band in general. Essential doesn't even begin to describe it.

Ice Hockey - Wavefunction Collapse

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     Ice Hockey is family. Ice Hockey are my brothers. Ice Hockey were born on the mean streets of the Quad Cities, which is a cluster of towns in Iowa and Illinois situated along the Mississippi River. I was born there, too. As a young man doing everything in his power to get out of the Midwest, I never would have thought a band of this magnitude could come from a place like that. Little did I know that I would end up regretting that belief someday. 

     'Wavefunction Collapse' is their newest offering, and with it you will find some of the most chaotic, bombastic hardcore this side of Combatwoundedveteran and Reversal Of Man. Now, don't take that to mean these guys are some sort of fly-by-night copycat outfit. That couldn't be further from the truth. Ice Hockey are blazing their own trails and tearing down any preconceived ideas about what a screamo record is supposed to sound like. This isn't all blast for blast's sake, shirt collar tugging, fall on the floor for effect samecore. These songs take on lives of their own because everyone in this band is a master of their craft. There are fun, noodly parts that bounce along until the breakdown drops and crushes it all. There are odd, experimental/psyche parts that let you know these guys have listened to their fare share of Yes & King Crimson records. There are unrestrained bursts of pure, unadulterated rage that should make you scared for your own safety. There is a snarling, smiling beast with a microphone doing somersaults and cartwheels through the crowd. All of these elements come together flawlessly to create a final draft that is haunting, hopeful and damaged at the same time.

     I could go finish this review with a RIYL list and all that... It's not worth it. You already know if you want this band in your life. I can't change your mind. The one thing I know for certain and the truth to end all truths is this: I am so happy to have these fellas in my life and I am 100% convinced that they are one of the best punk bands in the world right now.

Things Fall Apart - S/T

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     I'm pretty sure we already have a contender for AOTY with this, the new record from Ohio heartthrobs, Things Fall Apart (TFA). These gents are part of the skramz vanguard & have perfected their take on somber, heart wrenching screamo through their newest batch of songs. The instrumentals lilt and swell with precision until the inevitable outburst brings everything crashing down around you. The vocals travel from a hushed murmur to an outright screaming aural assault, attacking from every angle, though never taking away from the power of the instruments themselves. Everything is as it should be in the mix which makes this whole thing feel that much more powerful. Having only had the chance to listen to this record a couple times so far, I can say with certainty that these songs have that lasting quality that means they will be stuck in my head for days, which is definitely the sign of a strong release. I don't really know what else to say about this... If you are a fan of their past work, you will most assuredly enjoy this. If you are just getting into real screamo and you would like a recommendation on a good band to start with, I can't praise these guys enough. If you are a fan of late 90s/early 00s screamo & post-hardcore, I would be flabbergasted if you couldn't find something to enjoy here. If you enjoy bands like Indian Summer, Ivich, Manku Kapak, Anomie, Carlisle, Anasarca, Old Gray, Calculator, Indian Taker & Suis La Lune, you WILL enjoy this.

Ephemera - S/T

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     Ummmmmm.... I feel a little strange writing about this band because I keep wanting to use the word "supergroup" and I feel like that is just such a stupid word in general, but I don't exactly know how else to describe the combined effort it took to create these songs... Basically, what exists here are beautiful screamo/post-rock songs built by a bunch of movers & shakers within the modern skramz scene. Folks that helped craft these works of art play in or have played in bands such as: Suffocate For Fuck Sake, Shirokuma, Totem Skin, Sore Eyelids, Anemone, Via Fondo, Heart On My Sleeve, Trembling Hands, Rainmaker, Coma Regalia & Vi Som älskade Varandra Så Mycket. If that's not enough of a solid pedigree to get you to dive headfirst into these songs of sadness, beauty and insanity, I don't know what else to do for you. 

     All you need to know is this; The musicians who have come together and taken the time to create this record are some of the most talented, dedicated punks in the world. There is so much heart and passion pulsing through these compositions that it's almost impossible to keep it contained. These songs sound like they are constantly on the verge of complete collapse, and you should feel very good about that. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the above bands as well as Tristan Tzera, June Paik, Funeral Diner, The Kodan Armada and/or Laeirs. This is hardcore for the hardcore.

Ask For Answers - Speak

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     I'm gonna keep this review short and sweet because I think the music here can just speak for itself. Ask For Answers are a "virtual skramzgaze" band that exists between two different points on the map. Amado lives in Texas and Filip lives in Serbia. Together, they create songs that borrow equally from screamo, noise-rock and shoegaze and they do it damn well. These songs are terse, sharp bursts of lo-fi violence that will have you pinned to the floor and begging for air in no time. Imagine Jeromes Dream, Deafheaven, Idiot Pilot and Durga spending the weekend together in some dirty motel room off I-80 and you will have a pretty good idea what this sounds like.