EP REVIEW/RISING ARTIST: Happy Diving- s/t
2013 was a year light on newcomers, especially in rock. In fact, last year was a very rock-light year. Which, is kind of understandable. 2012 gave us tons of heavier and nastier records (Swans, Cloud Nothings, Titus Andronicus). So it’s wonderful to see some newcomers already in 2014, and one of those newcomers is the San Francisco lo-fi sludge punk outfit Happy Diving.
s/t is a short EP, just about 10 and a half minutes long. But man, these guys leave quite the impression in that time. The songs really bring the sludge to the forefront, but in a way that harkens back to lo-fi bands of the 90s. It’s almost like Dinosaur Jr. back in their prime, but even nastier. Songs like Sincere are just trudges through a great pile of noise and nastiness, but man is it enjoyable. There are more upbeat songs like Complacent that still manage to bring the grimy sounds out, but with a bit more energy. Matt Berry’s vocals have personality but they never really overthrow the rest of the sound. The drums and guitars all seem to make up the same entity, creating this gnarly smoothie concoction of fuzz. It’s been done before, but the songs haven’t been this good.
After listening to a lot of 90s bands in the past month (January just puts me in a Dinosaur Jr./Pinkerton-Weezer mood), this EP hits just the right spot. Especially the prime cut here, the closer Never Been. It has some fantastic guitar work, some stellar drums, cutesy-yet-pitchy backing vocals, and some great disinterested vocals from Berry. It’s a fantastic sound that perfectly emulates the pop-punk of the 90s, and stands on its own as a great song. Very few EPs can leave an impression this great, especially one from newcomers like these guys. Hopefully an album will come soon enough.
Summary: s/t is a sludgey joyride, with some great guitar work and a sound that’s incredibly engrossing. Plus, the fact it’s 10 minute longs helps the replay-value quite a bit.
Choice Cuts: Never Been, Sincere
Sounds Like: Dinosaur Jr., A dirtier Pavement, A more punk-pop Sludge band.
A-
You can stream the entire EP below, as well as download it over at Bandcamp. They have limited edition cassettes out next month on Father Daughter records.
ALBUM REVIEW: You Blew It!- Keep Doing What You’re Doing
Unlike many fellow bloggers, I’m 18. I’m still in High School, and when Emo rock was blowing up with Sunny Day Real Estate and Saves the Day, I was probably still shitting myself. However, there’s no denying that that music eventually would have influence on music I did connect with. I’m sure all those awful pop-punk bands that I was obsessed with in High School had some roots in the angst-driven Midwest Emo of the late 90s and early 00s. Plus, I’ve had the decency to go back and listen to those earlier bands and appreciate what they did. So, I can at least vicariously feel some nostalgia in this sudden Emo Revival. Topshelf Records, the frontrunner in this revival, have given us another album defined by this revival, and it’s most “revivalist” album in this movement yet.
You Blew It!, Orlando’s major player in this revival, come across as being a cleaner Cap’n Jazz…or a cleaner version of any 90s emo band on Keep Doing What You’re Doing. The vocals only veer into screechy territory during power choruses and the guitars and drums never get messy or tangled. While a “clean and cut” sounds pretty bland (The label claimed that this record has the band “dialing back on their more raw influences…”, it’s amazing just how engaging and enjoyable Keep Doing What You’re Doing Is.
In fact, this album probably harkens back more to the cleaner early 00s Emo Punk-Pop, with relatively simple song structures (Many of the songs try to go for the classic verse-chorus formula) and smoother vocals. However, You Blew It! manage to take this somewhat sterile approach and make something transcendentally fresh with it.
The lead vocals here are probably one of the best elements Keep Doing What You’re Doing has going for it. On songs like Award of the Year Award, the raw and inspired singing that verges on yelling amps up the energy and really resonates in a way similar to the bands that inspired them. Even though they’re most noticeable when they’re loud and bombastic (Like with the explosive gang vocals on Better to Best), there are subtle moments where they shine through as well, like on the outro of House Address or during Regional Dialect. There are moments that I wish there was more diversity in the vocals-the subdued You & Me & Me is a bit too sweet and monotonous- but for the most part the vocals have the ability to command attention and deliver some incredibly emotive moments.
The guitars here also shine through, delivering riffs and tones with solid execution. They aren’t overly intricate or loud, but they demand attention through how masterfully they’re executed. Part of what grabs you in the first couple of seconds on this LP is how well done the opening riffs are on Match and Tinder. House Address also attests to how integral guitar is to this album working. Even though experimentation is kind of low here (Save a gloriously odd solo at the tail end of Rock Springs), the guitar does the best it can to make Keep Doing What You’re Doing a very good album.
Keep Doing What You’re Doing isn’t a revolutionary album in this revival, but it is a very well executed and incredibly enjoyable one. The band has found a sound that works for them and uses it to its fullest extent. It sounds just like its influences, and honestly would fit right in with those bands.
Summary: Keep Doing What You’re Doing manages to be a fine example of what this Emo Revival has to offer, with great guitars and vocals keeping every song (From the fantastic ones to the bland ones) interesting and enjoyable.
Choice Cuts: Match and Tinder, House Address, Better to Best
Leftovers: You & Me & Me
B
You can stream House Address below. Keep Doing What You’re Doing is out 1/14 (Tomorrow) on Topshelf Records.
RISING ARTIST/ALBUM REVIEW: Diarrhea Planet- I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
A couple of months ago, a video of New Jersey punk/Titus Andronicus leader doing a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run with this 3-guitared band was all over music blogs. My first reaction to the video was “Ugh…Diarrhea Planet?”. It’s a terrible name for a band, and I still think it is. But, I was taught a lesson that day: Never judge a band by their horrible name. Because Diarrhea Planet is a MONSTER. They chugged their guitars triumphantly over Stickles and really brought something out of him.
While Titus Andronicus deals with dreary pessimism and socioeconomic issues with a heavier hand, Diarrhea Planet manages to bring a youthful Punk-Pop flavor to some more personal subjects. One thing that strikes me about this project is just how fantastically it nails the unnerving doom that graces all us poor suckers under 30. Despite the vicious guitars and glorious hooks, songs like Separations cover the emotions behind long-distance relationships, while Kids and The Sound of My Ceiling Fan manage to capture the hopelessness felt at the crossroads of life perfectly (and that ain’t hyperbole). Now, the lyrical themes aren’t entirely consistent (Album opener Heavy Metal is a dedication to VHS tapes and the movie Heavy Metal), but that’s never a problem for these guys.
The one thing, besides some incredibly well structured and written songs, that absolutely fetches me is the sound. The three guitars are tangle up into a giant vicious mountain of sound, one that reverberates in your ears and engulfs you in a way you won’t feel from many punk albums these days. I’d probably compare it to a less expansive The World Is a Beautiful Place or a more personal Torche. In fact, this stuff really blurs the lines between some of the great stoner metal from last year and the anthemic bliss of TItus and the like.
Plus, piece is weaker than any of the others. Vocalist Jordan Smith has a strong voice that really carries some of the ear worm melodies brilliantly. Plus, all three guitarists bring a lot of interesting and incredible riffs and ideas to the table. The chugs behind the drowning guitar line on Field of Dreams is one of the most mind numbingly awesome instrumental breaks this year (not to mention the thundering drums that immediately follow). These guys are great at milking moments of their resonance, and it never feels pandering or overwrought. The beautiful Kids starts as a melancholy drifter, transforms into a nearly folksy trot (and almost evokes some Real Estate), before exploding into a melting pot of emotion. It captures depression and desperate nostalgia in a powerful manner.
Now, there are moments that are less emotional, but they’re just as great. Pummeling romps like Hammer of the Gods and Togano are chant-alongs that really nail down the whole “Chant along” thing. And if you’re bigger on vicious solos and kick-ass tracks, this album has you covered. Ugliest Son will rip you apart and then show no remorse. Now, some might say “Eh…Power Punk can’t be that vicious”. But I’m Rich manages to do heavy than most of the mediocre metal albums I hear every year.
These are some really talented young guys, and this album already shows how great these guys are at what they do. It captures all the energy of those crazy possum ridden basement shows that they’ve been known for on YouTube. Can’t wait for whatever they do next.
Summary: I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams lives up to the wild singles that proceeded it, with explosive punk, stellar hooks, great instrumentation, and a perfect mix of emotional resonance and straight up punk pop.
Choice Cuts: Kids, The Sound of My Ceiling Fan, Separation, Field of Dreams
Leftovers: Enter the Great Gate
A (4.5-5/5)
Stream Kids and Separations (And, for kicks, that Born to Run w/ Stickles video) below. I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams is out 8/20 on Infinity Cat.
Vantage Point Music 