***"Wantage basement HQ is getting mightily excited for this new DEAD LP, Raving Drooling. It's something like their tenth? Eighth? LP and the guest-players list—VERN AVOLA (from PRIZEHOG, AVOLA) and JOE PRESTON (from THRONES, EARTH, MELVINS, etc.) alone gets us all, well, tingly in the appendages. The core elements are a two-piece band (bass and drumset) and vocals, who've long-steeped in the hot southern hemisphere sun, producing hefty, chugging noise somewhere-between-metal-noise rock and punk. While there are similarities to acts like KARP, High On Fire, Melvins, Om, and lots more, there's also a heavy, heavy dose of whatever down under, feral Oz vibe that makes that continent such a great exporter or wild rock and roll sounds (see Scientists, Lubricated Goat, AC/DC, Cosmic Psychos, Rose Tattoo, Coloured Balls, Hard Ons, Feedtime, Birthday Party, etc. etc. etc.). Thankfully, in a noise rock world that's generally defined by its a). heavy testosterone and mostly male vibes, and b). dull macho bullship, Dead's bucking the trend and routinely treads into the worlds of spacious doom and psychedelic soundtracks for entire album sides. They also dive headfirst into borderline Krautrock territories with long repetitive riffing and poly-rhythms. It's hard to stuff to discuss without sounding a bit like an musicologist nerd. But, to me, they're sounds that can be summed up by free thinking and independent curiosity, vs. the boundaries that make most bands easier to categorize. Our general impression about what makes Dead a unique and special band, is an orientation to the...
LP $21.35
10/09/2020
***"The real story is the fact that the WHIP were a waaaay too short-lived band that formed a couple years after KARP had broken up, and a little after the TIGHT BROS FROM WAY BACK WHEN (JARED's post-Karp band) had basically called it quits after recording and touring hard for several years in the late '90s/early '00s. The year was 2002 and SCOTT (JERNIGAN, Karp's drummer) was in a Seattle band called THE BRONZE, and he and Jared began playing with JOE PRESTON (THRONES, MELVINS, etc. etc). My friend Rick (now an academic librarian in Eugene, OR) heard this was happening, and nearly dropped his Cocteau Twins cassette. Such a pairing of everything we loved about music, coming together in one band. We'd spent serious time loving everything Thrones had done, and clearly, Karp was essentially the best rock band ever. With Joe's amazing riffs and playing, Jared's and Scott's insanely sync'd up rhythm section and Jared singing, this pretty much sounded like it was gonna be the perfect band. So, sight unseen Rick told 'em we'd pay for a recording session if they'd let Wantage do the 7". And lo, the Freelance Liaison/Sheep and Goat Judgement 7" was born. The band toured the west coast, and northwest a fair amount in their short life, and we were all set to release a 5-song Tour EP (a la the Red Fang tour EP, and the Big Business Tour EPs etc.) but on June 10, 2003, Scott was killed in a...
LP $21.35
08/21/2020