Can You See the Sunset? » post hardcore

Castevet – The Echo & The Light

Eric — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 14:03:34 +0000

Earlier this year my friends from the amazing Tiny Engines label released the gorgeous vinyl version of Castevet’s newest record The Echo & The Light. It’s the second record from this Chicago group that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. It’s not totally (or really at all) dissimilar from last year’s Summer Fences and still contains the same sort of sprawling and melodic emo-rock jams that initially snared me plus they haven’t lost the little atmospheric bits that totally remind me of Explosions In The Sky. The vocals are still gruff and shouted although (at times) they come across as a little more screamy than they did on Summer Fences. The guitars still go from chiming chords to twinkling and circularly intertwining as well. The instrumentation is a nice counterpoint to the intensity of the vocals (especially on tracks like “Lautrec”). It’s not exactly throwback “emo” but there are certainly elements of it on The Echo & The Light. Really, Castevet have sort of invented a new genre; beardy vintage post-emo rock. It’s the perfect thing for winter or your holiday party and sounds a bit like a cross between Iron Chic, American Football, Everyone Everywhere, and the aforementioned Explosions In The Sky. So go ahead and put this great record on your turntable.

MP3:
Castevet - Midwest Values

Hostage Calm – Hostage Calm

Eric — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:27:35 +0000

As someone who is completely unfamiliar with pre-Hostage Calm Hostage Calm, this is my singular opinion of this Connecticut-based band’s self-titled full-length. Before ever listening to a note of the record, I just casually and carelessly assumed this was a hardcore record. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Hostage Calm is a record that covers a lot of ground without ever losing focus and without just becoming a hodgepodge of disparate musical elements. There’s a lot going on in these songs and the band expertly treads the line (as if one actually existed) between complexity, fluidity, pop hooks, and punk rock intensity in a way that’s hard to describe without actually hearing the album. Despite the fact that there a handful of musical nods to being a hardcore band (fast punk tempos at times, palm muted breakdowns, etc…) there’s really nothing about Hostage Calm that really sounds traditionally hardcore. It’s more of an overall feeling than it is anything the band does sonically. There’s a lot of tempo changes, unexpected instrumental flourishes, and great melodies, but it’s all much more pop rock than I would have expected. Not that I’m comparing ‘em to The Clash (one of my favorite bands ever), but just think about London Calling and how much more than just a simple punk record it is; Hostage Calm is kinda sorta like that.

Now I normally don’t like much in the way of highly-produced and “mellowed” punk rock, but this is somehow different. The music is intelligent and interesting while the vocals are melodic but keep a pretty even-tempered and calm trajectory throughout. There is also a confidence in the changes and the complexity that seems effortless; the incorporation of Latin-ish (I guess?) rhythms, acoustic guitars, and keyboards seems completely natural and organic. I also keep thinking that these guys kinda remind me of mid-period Saves The Day and Thrice despite not really sounding anything like either of ‘em. Weird, huh? So, yeah, Hostage Calm and their self-titled album have quickly started to dominate my stereo and work their way up my year-end list. Hostage Calm is (however) a record that needs to be listened to at least a few times to really “get” it. Still, innovation is rarely this listenable.

MP3:
Hostage Calm - Rebel Fatigues
Hostage Calm - Victory Lap

Young Livers – Of Misery And Toil

Eric — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:51:48 +0000

Of Misery And Toil is the second full-length from the Gainesville, Florida based group Young Livers and it’s an album that’s right up there with the best of the No Idea Records catalog. It’s gruff but melodic, and dense as shit while retaining clarity. It’s actually quite an achievement to make a record sound like a combination of Motorhead, Hot Water Music, and Converge; you know, riding the line between melodic emo-punk and pea soup thick metallic hardcore, with some late-70’s retro sludge thrown in for good measure. These guys are badass. Of Misery And Toil is heavy without ever getting bogged down or abandoning the fast punk ferocity that paces the album and the vocals are about as primal and intense as you’re likely to find anywhere. Really, what more could anyone ask for in a punk rock album? Of Misery And Toil is out now on No Idea Records and will certainly find on spot on my year-end best-of list.

MP3:
Young Livers - Born In Vein
Young Livers - Suffering From

Esprit De Corps – Under Constant Influence EP

Eric — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:00:12 +0000

On their self-released EP, Under Constant Influence, from 2009 Denver, Colorado’s Esprit De Corps throttles through five songs of abrasive rock that sounds like a cross between The Bronx and fellow Denver natives Planes Mistaken For Stars and Only Thunder). The vocals are generally gruff and shouted but with a hint of melody, the rhythms are thundering, and the guitars are heavy but a little jagged too. It all adds up to a thick soup of post-something goodness that would have been right at home in Chicago during the late 90’s. Esprit De Corps also throws some keyboards into the mix on occasion as well… it’s akin to the cherry on top. Eat up fuckers.

MP3:
Esprit De Corps - Black Gold

Sleep Bellum Sonno – Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives, Not By How We Made Our Living

Eric — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:39:07 +0000

Sleep Bellum Sonno is from Long Island and their sophomore album, Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives, Not By How We Made Our Living, is a complex and ambitious collection of songs that is as well executed as it is carefully composed. As far as concept albums go, this one is a doozy. Judge Us… “tells the tale of twelve characters who all intertwine into one larger story of a husband/father leaving his wife and two sons behind,” but I would never have realized that on my own. I’m more drawn to the music itself which is an epic offshoot of the post-rock/post-hardcore genre. The two vocalists in Sleep Bellum Sonno could not sound more different and their contrasting styles (one with a thinly sung vocals and the other with piercing screams) actually work quite well together and give Judge Us… an unsettling and unconventional (but balanced) feel. With the drawn-out loud/quiet dynamics Sleep Bellum Sonno employs here, I might even say there’s some similarity to a non-screamo version of Pianos Become The Teeth (if there was such a thing). Additionally, knowing the band recorded the album live and listening to how the songs unfold and how the instruments interact, it is easily apparent that these guys are really talented musicians. All in all, Judge Us… is an impressive (even if challenging) album that is worth your while.

MP3:
Sleep Bellum Sonno - Gambler
Sleep Bellum Sonno - Bartender

Daylight – Sinking EP

Eric — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:37:07 +0000

The 5 song Sinking EP from the Pennsylvania based Daylight is a must hear if you are a fan of melodic punk/post-hardcore. A lot like Nothington without the rootsy undertones, a little Like Polar Bear Club but less plodding, and sorta like Title Fight but more gruff and less poppy, this is highly recommended for fans of those groups and also for fans of Small Brown Bike and/or Hot Water Music. It’s more interesting than standard-issue melodic punk but more straightforward than your typical post-hardcore without really venturing into terms that could ever be called “the E word”. Maybe even a little like As Friends Rust, or not. If it seems like I’m struggling to find the right words to describe Sinking, it’s because I am. Good records sometimes leave me sounding like an idiot and this is one of ‘em. Highly fucking recommended. Go get the 10″.

MP3:
Daylight - Enough

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Passenger Action – Passenger Action

Eric — Fri, 07 May 2010 01:33:54 +0000

Passenger Action’s self-titled full-length is full of driving, emotive, and technical rock music that has the base of something unabashedly catchy a la Taking Back Sunday or even Saves The Day as well as something more dynamic like Knapsack or Static Prevails-era Jimmy Eat World. There are good vocal harmonies, there is solid fretwork, and the songs are strong. Really, I’m not sure why this band isn’t huge or at least much more well known. Don’t the kids eat this sort of shit right up? I mean it’s like Midtown or The Starting Line meets Sparta’s more muscular sound but more tech and more atmospheric kinda like Minus The Bear. It could just be that these guys are from Western Canada. I should also note that this review has been sitting around in draft format for (probably) over six months and I’m just finally posting it tonight. How about them apples… Anyhow, this is some pretty good shit and Passenger Action is out now on Smallman Records. You could also take out a cheap cash advance and open up your own record label and sign great bands like Passenger Action.

MP3:
Passenger Action - Absent Minds
Passenger Action - Isolated From The Cause

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Pianos Become The Teeth – Old Pride

Eric — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:51:51 +0000

On Old Pride Baltimore, Maryland’s Pianos Become The Teeth puts an interesting and refreshing spin on screamo by fleshing out their chaotic bursts and screamed vocals with atmospheric post-rock and what could almost be called straightforward hardcore (or at least post-hardcore) with moments that even remind me of what you might hear on early 90’s Touch & Go releases. These eight songs are technical but the guitars always remain on the mathy and emo side of the equation rather than crossing over into the world of metal. With music like this there’s always the chance that it could all end up being too dense, but on Old Price the band proves they actually know when to hold back and give their songs room to breathe. Now, I really dislike the band Thursday and (thus) won’t compare Pianos Become The Teeth to them as others have done. Instead, I hear the instrumental prowess and soaring grandeur of (say) Explosions In The Sky tempered and bombarded with the abrasive-yet-melodic bombast of That Within Blood Ill-Tempered-era Shai Hulud. It works tremendously well and makes me wonder why more groups don’t employ this loud/quiet and chaotic/atmospheric dynamic. Have a listen.

MP3:
Pianos Become The Teeth - Filial

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Native – We Delete; Erase EP

Eric — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:05:28 +0000

Yeah, so Native just released their debut full-length, Wrestling Moves on Sargent House, but this isn’t a review of that record. I could never be that “with it” or “in the know.” Nope. Instead, I offer you a review of their We Delete; Erase EP. It features six songs of skronking algebraic post punk that balances the delicate emo of American Football or Braid with the searing punch of Faraquet, Shellac, or (maybe) Lustre King. It’s all a bit frantic but (nevertheless) kinda pretty; like watching the waves of the North Atlantic rolling across the bow of a helpless freighter. This is some seriously good stuff from some boys from just around the corner in Northwest Indiana.

MP3:
Native - Ride The Tide