7000 Dying Rats
Season in Hell
(Hewhocorrupts Inc.)
The Band is 7000 Dying Rats. Their influences include Slayer, Journey, and farts. They have a songs entitled “We had “Dying” in our Name way Before all Those Metalcore C*cksuckers Came Along” and “The Thought Bubble Above My Head is Filled with Golden Rotating Shotguns.” Their website boasts, “Yeah, we’re totally nu-metal, you douche bag…” That was Spinal Tap. This is Richard Pryor for the Death Metal set.
BARR
Summary
(5RC)
It’s the first song and I’m wishing the piano would go on forever and I’m thinking “I’ve never thought such a thing in my life.” So begins my journey into the latest creation from BARR, the LA-based project from the multi-talented Brendan Fowler, poised to come out of the woodwork. There are still obstacles to overcome (“Complete Consumption of Us Both” is heavy, though the vocals are so familiar they’ll remind you of voices you’ve heard and felt comforted by), but watch what Fowler’s able to do on tracks like “The Song is the Single.” Fowler, with his spoken word simplicity and oft-grating openness, and amidst his various visual and musical art projects, is a real artist, and, fittingly, worthy of some attention.
CORETTA SCOTT
Red Delicious
(self-released)
You have to hand it Spokane’s Coretta Scott for not slowing down. They recorded this EP in town, self-released it, and are currently on the road for a NW tour. All six tracks sound sharp and crisp. The songs shine most when the band’s pop-rock swagger trumps their emo leanings. Bonus points for the title’s nod to the state apple industry.
DAS OATH
Das Oath
(three.one.g)
Wasn’t the disc released by Dimmak in ’05 self-titled too? No matter. Song titles like “The Terror, The Delight, and The Unendurable Pointlessness of Trying” make this instantly worthy of your time. Artwork, much like the music, steeped in nostalgic beauty by way of destruction, loss, intrigue makes this instantly worthy of your time. As does the fact, simply, that this is DAS OATH, that half-New York/half-Netherlands punk group that’s been busy REDEFINING hardcore with their anthemic, nonstop contributions since inception. Check it.
Earl Greyhound
Soft Targets
(Some Records)
You know that friend of yours who pops up ever so often (read: music critic) and says “…Dude, check this out. Sounds exactly like Led Zeppelin. No question they’re the new Zeppelin!” But, all the while you’re thinking it sounds more like: Budgie, Kings-X, Cheap Trick, Kingdom Come, Mountain, White Stripes, Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, Wolfmother, with a super-heavy dose of Montrose. Yep. That’s Earl Greyhound. They might get closer than others, but that’s about it.
THE FINCHES
Human Like a House
(Dulc-i-Tone)
If there’s a city whose music I respect the most (past Portland), it’d likely be San Francisco. Contained within its city limits, San Francisco houses electro-pop (Scissors for Lefty), pop/rock (Birdmonster), and indie rock of my favorite brand (Two Gallants), all with the proficiency and talent to set them apart (that’s the answer to the “Everybody has electro-pop/indie rock!” you were about to interject with). So let’s take now a light-spirited, lulling duo like the Finches. Thoughts provoked, ears pleased and rep intact. Yay, San Francisco!
HOLY MOLAR
Cavity Search
(three.one.g)
Cards on the table. You can guess with near 100% accuracy that I’ll be 100% in love with anything that Justin Pearson touches. So it’d seem pretty easy then to figure that this disc, which Pearson not only released on his San Diego-based label, the fabulous three.one.g, but also has a hand in its performance (bass, of course), was ranked high on my most-anticipated 2007 releases. Contained within this clear disc are five tracks that’ll be gone before you can blink, that’ll leave you salivating, nay, lusting, for more. Holy, indeed. Just wait until the debut from Ground Unicorn Horn (which counts amongst its creators both Pearson AND Chuck Rowell) is released…
MAHER SHALAL HASH BAZ
L’Autre Cap
(K)
I honestly have no idea what to say about this. Tori Kudo, a Japanese conductor, gets together a team of amateur musicians to play 27 songs, that sound, well, pretty damn amateurish. I’m on week four of a nasty head cold that I’m pretty sure has recently turned into a sinus infection and, well, listening to broken tunes, teetering on complete disaster (albeit maintaining their listen-ability), led by a Japanese frontman-slash-vocalist is just not.gonna.float.
MATT & KIM
“Yea Yeah” from Matt & Kim
(iheartcomix)
Because that monstrosity of a head cold mentioned above is keeping me from not one but TWO Matt & Kim shows this week, here is my whine. I first saw them last fall at the Troubadour and they absolutely delighted me like no band has in a very long time. I forgot all about the opener, What Made Milwaukee Famous, and had no energy left for the oft-somber French Kicks. This Brooklyn duo brings so much crazy energy to the stage, so many smiles, so many goofy grins, it’s hard to keep up with them. Their energy looks to be totally annoying, but it isn’t, it’s completely charming and lovable. Who’dathunk? This, their, perhaps, “signature” song, is perfect in nearly every way-including its accompanying video, where the white clothing-clad duo is pummeled by various food products. MySpace these ones.
Nick Oliveri and Mondo Generator
Dead Planet: Sonicslowmotiontrails
(Mother Tongue)
The latest installment in the cooked up saga of Mondo Generator has our hero, Nick Oliveri, once again doing battle with those screwy meth-addled demons. Granted this is well-covered territory (Kyuss, the Dwarves, Queens of the Stoneage, and two prior Mondo Generator albums), but it’s always got an earnest and oddly humble quality. Make no mistake Mondo Generator is the place where drugs and rock meet to rumble, cuss, grunt, and bump. It’s not intended for the infirm, but rather for a whole new generation of those about to rock.
THE MOONEY SUZUKI
Have Mercy
(V2)
If you’re like me, you’ve been hearing buzz about the Mooney Suzuki for what seems an eternity. But you’ve never been curious enough to make the effort to listen. While listening to track one of their new disc, I sent an instant message that read “Oh man, the Mooney Suzuki is not good.” Shortly thereafter another followed: “Sometimes it sounds like Randy Newman singing!” (Sure, I’ve edited in the capital letters and punctuation.) Old time rock ‘n’ roll? Or just tired and boring. Ick. I thought these folks were trendy and cool. I think I almost saw them perform live once. My ears, oh my poor ears…
SunnO))) and Boris
Altar
(Southernlord)
Imagine the infamous Hubble Telescope was able to pick up some useful information like the sound of a star being born, or the shock-waves associated with two planets booming in to one other. Well, I spent $11.99 and got to hear these sounds for myself. NASA spent $1.5 billion and didn’t. Boris is the heaviest element in the periodic table of rock, and SunnO))) hasn’t even been discovered yet. Put together as one is a unique listening experience like no other. Equal parts bang and crush, mixed nicely with drone and thud. This is one of the heaviest, but most peaceful trips you’ll ever take. NASA could have saved themselves a hell of lot of money by calling the good folks at Southernlord Records.
