Mostly (but not always) Punk Music Reviews: August 2009

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Resignators (The) - Offbeat Time

Artist: The Resignators

Album: Offbeat Time

Label: Stomp Records

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Friday, August 21, 2009

Driving on City Sidewalks - Where the Angels Crowd to Listen

Artist: Driving on City Sidewalks

Album: Where the Angels Crowd to Listen

Label: Count Your Lucky Stars/Red Plane Records

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Merit - Arson is For Lovers

Artist: Merit

Album: Arson is For Lovers

Label: Self-Released

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Bob Mould - Life and Times

Artist: Bob Mould

Album: Life and Times

Label: ANTI-

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Dead Swans - Sleepwalkers

Artist: Dead Swans

Album: Sleepwalkers

Label: Bridge Nine Records

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

You Me at Six - Take Off Your Colours

Artist: You Me at Six

Album: Take Off your Colours

Label: Epitaph Records

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Never Shout Never - The Summer EP

Artist: Never Shout Never

Album: The Summer EP

Label: Loveway/Warner

Read the Review at thepunksite.com

Pour Habit - Suiticide

Artist: Pour Habit

Album: Suiticide

Label: Fat Wreck Chords

Pour Habit is the latest band to successfully catch Fat Mike's eye, and subsequently get signed to Fat Wrech Chords. But what sets them apart from other Fat signings is that Fat Mike was so impressed by their self released 2007 debut, Suiticide, that he has opted to re-release the album as their Fat Wreck Chords debut - talk about flattery!

But what exactly about Suiticide won over Fat Mike so fast? Well, after an initial listen, I think I have an idea. Pour Habit have produced a furious 12 song album that feels like what I'd imagine being abducted, blindfolded, and tossed onto the world's most deadly roller coaster - without safety precautions - for a 27 minute hell ride would feel like. From the second you pressed play, the band maintains a furious pace, all while integrating innumerable influences, from metal to reggae, and maintaining an surprisingly organic coherence. Most songs clock in at under two minutes, making the release feel right at home with Fat's back catalogue. In grossly simple terms that don't do Pour Habit justice, the band sounds like a combination of early Offspring (Dexter Holland) vocals being channeled through Love Equals Death's raw rock-centric enthusiasm, all being held together with a Strung Out-like knack for technical complexity and speed. But Pour Habit is more than the sum of their parts.

I think Pour Habit's longest track, "Zion," best captures their style in a single three minute sitting. "Zion" features every musical influence in the band's arsenal both in parallel and linearity. The track begins with a minimalist reggae lead-in, serving as the album's slowest tempo and most stripped down arrangement. Because the rest of the album moves at such a speedy pace, the intro serves as a welcome break, offering time to collect one's thoughts. Then the track launches back into that same unrelenting pace with strong rock overtones, and eventually into the chorus, featuring a subtle metal tinge. But the real treat comes in the form of the upcoming bridge. Opening with a fantastically technical solo, the bridge seemingly blurs the boundaries between punk and metal, then momentarily drawing upon a reggae backdrop before escalating into the song's most ambitious and exciting solo, which concludes by revisiting the song's slow reggae intro, eventually fading away into the backdrop. Needless to say, "Zion" is quite a ride, serving as one of Suiticide's many high points.

Suiticide's rerelease is a great example of the power of labels even at the underground level. In the band's bio, drummer Colin Walsh jokingly states that "If it wasn’t for Fat Wreck Chords, I’d probably be working a steady job, but because of those bastards this is my life and there’s no way I could ever quit or stop." Fat Wreck has done a huge service by preventing Suiticide from slipping between the cracks, and by supplying Pour Habit with a well deserved home. Now with label backing and a real budget, just imagining what Pour Habit will be capable of excites my mind.