New Aggro October Music
New Aggro October music. Much of this is sweet, dreamy, and indie. If that is not your thing may I suggest Chaos Magic from Parris Mayhew? NYHC veteran and director. Additionally Reaching Out hardcore featuring the youth and future of hardcore ?
As much as the pandemic has caused lots of suffering, the output of music seems to be one bright spot. These releases are out in October and hopefully they make the autumn and state of affairs a little better. Everything covered is top notch in my opinion.
Luxembourg Signal – The Long Now – Shelflife Records
I’ll keep this short and ask that you read Bernard’s more in depth review when it gets published. As he will give it a proper review. If you know them then you will probably adore this LP. If you don’t know them but you are a fan of the material on Summershine, Sarah, Shinkansen, and indie stuff like it you may want to listen.
Ultra clean and powerful production. Strong melody and songwriting. I cannot stop listening to this mesmerizing track “The Morning After” As mentioned I’ll leave it in my associates capable hands. Also on Shelflife records we have a review by Bernard about label mates Even As We Speak https://meatsheetfanzine.com/even-as-we-speak-adelphi-review/ To hear this captivating Luxembourg Signal release and support the band https://theluxembourgsignal.bandcamp.com/album/the-long-now 9/10
Citrus Clouds – Whoa – Single
This is the third single from Phoenix AZ’s Citrus Clouds. Dream pop all day long. Whoa is less sweet than their last single “Honey”. https://citrusclouds.bandcamp.com/
However, it is just as musically mature. I’m hearing a subtle darker overtone but it’s still bright enough to be pop. The LP containing “Whoa” and “Honey” singles will be along shortly. “Whoa” has a thumping bass line and textbook dreamy vocals. The fluttering of the guitar picking gives “Whoa” a lift like a gust of wind. This levity balances the heavy bass line. When they vocalize towards the end it adds yet still another dimension. The sounds are layered, but still approachable. Approachable, euphoric, but heavy on the rhythm. 89/100
Reaching Out – Demo –
I felt compelled to write about this. It’s New Jersey Hardcore. Jersey is my homeland and it always had some good hardcore. Reaching Out seems to be carrying the torch. https://reachingoutnjhc.bandcamp.com/album/reaching-out-demo
Even though I am not up to date on lots of new hardcore, I figure I’ll listen. Fast aggressive and raw songs. A Side By Side cover. Even without that cover the other songs are urgent, well done, and hold their own. If you like early Revelation style hardcore ( just before or as Youth Crew stuff explodes or was exploding) this is worth more than a few listens. If they can keep this up they are on their way to greatness.
Nothing – The Great Dismal – Relapse Records
“Say Less” the first single is just stunning. After weeks of hearing it I do not tire of it. Read about that here https://meatsheetfanzine.com/nothing-say-less-single/.
“A Fabricated Life” opens up this record. The guitar warbles in an eerie way that could suggest a Great Dismal swamp. Foreboding, glum , and downtuned, there is still a quiet beauty there. Perhaps morose yet sublime beauty. The rhythm is toned down to the extent I don’t hear drums. A some what quiet and moody opener, the end of the cut opens a little bit from dark to shards of dull shimmers of sound and then recedes again.
Secondly “April Ha Ha” grinds into play. Guitars like MBV’s ‘Isn’t Anything’ spliced with grungy Seattle inspired fuzz. The snare drums are fresh and crisp but have enough mids and lows to balance out the snappy rebound. Hats off to Will Yip who aided in making this record.
“Catch A Fade” shines with pop overtones. If you can imagine a time back when the 90’s ( and further back) emphasized hooks with some bubbly fuzzy distortion to give the pop a little edge (think Buddy Holly / Weezer – Creep / Radiohead).
“Catch A Fade” delivers this and is s good contrast to “A Fabricated Life”.
The second single “Bernie Sanders” offers a crisp, clear, yet shimmery (reverse reverb?) twang. The beat is infectious and classic. Perfect mid tempo kick and snare combo. The guitars are dreamy and wail but not in the same vein as “Say Less”, they’re a little more poppy, goth, understated. A dark undertone flows beneath this tune, countered with Dominic’s uplifting vocal melodies. Did not dig this track on the first try but I like it exponentially more over the last weeks since its release.
The third single, “Famine Asylum” is a another noteworthy track. From the first few quickly picked string notes I can’t help recall early to mid career Cure / Robert Smith. Next , assuming this one is downtuned the guitar is growly and heavy. Could be Hum’s long lost relative (Inlet or Downward is Heavenward era) Vocals are light and airy on this track and throughout the LP . The arpeggios call to the older Nothing songs. Still sounds fresh though. The opening riff and guitar glissando reels me in. Love the drumming. It hangs in the back but then when the vocals drop out it comes to life. In fact the frenzied snare flurry in this track is aces. It’s like a storm of drumming shrapnel that shreds all in its path.
“In Blueberry Memories” is classic Nothing tone, guitars, drums, overall tone. It sounds like it could have been on Dance On the Blacktop or maybe even Tired Of Tomorrow. A haunting song. The guitar wails like a slowed down siren.
It’s momentum winds down like an engine that gradually loses RPM’s. This has been done before by many bands. But like many effects, if used effectively, it works.
“Blue Mecca” is another reverbed out track with scintillating guitars. Classic shoegaze tones. Dominic seems to be introspectively thinking which in turn created this vocal melody with lyrics. Or maybe it’s my spin on it. The way this track kicks in is alot like how Slowdive builds tension over a few minutes and then lets the distortion wave crash and obliterate. The scintillation is still floating beneath the crashing wave. This song struck me as very powerful. Coming in at 5:17 it’s worth hearing it out IMO.
“Just A Story” offers a tribal thunderous drum beat with a complimentary hard edged riff. This is almost deceptive in the sense it is a heavy start that goes drifting into dreamy. The heaviness is still there, but the ether rises and permeates the song. “Just A Story” feels like they’re playing with heavy vs. dreamy moods. That is not to say they are childishly playing with these counterpoints, more like seeing how do these sounds interact and transform the song.
“Ask The Rust” roars with hard hitting, fiery riffs you could bang your head to. Again I think of Hum’s huge downtuned guitar tone thick as the swamp fog that inspired the LP. My only problem with “Ask The Rust” is once it trails off and fades, it seems to be getting really good. The guitars are groaning and grumbling and churn out of phase. My thought is this could be the warmup to an outro that just goes berserk. Instead it recedes into the recesses and dark. This track is a surprise in that sense.
Overall, The Great Dismal is a huge sounding record. The tone on it almost similar the whole way through but I was not bored. The production and playing is stellar. Perhaps Nothing could have stretched into a little more uncharted territory.
However I’m not disappointed. I think at the level they are at they could have threw some more wild cards into this album. Example: the crescendo/ drums in “Famine Asylum” and “Ask The Rust outro. More surprises and risks could have been a ‘Whoa’ moment. I expected dreamy beauty, depression that is transmuting itself, heavy, ghosts of hardcore music, etc . Everything that Nothing is known for. I am not insinuating these guys bust out a theremin , Moog , or random instrument. In conclusion though, they still achieved a triumphant, powerful, modern, shoegaze record. 87/100
Aggros – Chaos Magic – Video and Song
Aggros is a project featuring Parris Mayhew who some may know from the legendary New York hardcore band Cro-Mags. Accompanying this instrumental is there a rich visual representation of New York City. There are nods to the past. There are quite a few guitars and basses played by multiple exposures of Parris. So if you like looking at gear you can see a Rickenbacker Lemmy plus more.
The moving photography is definitely tight. He knows how to capture shots.
Parris’s choice of t-shirts is on point. There are subtle little things working for you to discover in several frames. I won’t give it away but they could be little animations but they don’t come off cute. They just add to the modern urban landscape. I don’t know why this gets me but when Parris switches stances it adds a sense of crucialness. Makes me want to play guitar or go off to the song. Directed by Parris himself… this is a very strong visual representation of New York City under pandemic. Click/ tap for video https://metalinjection.net/video/aggros-premieres-classic-nyhc-with-instrumental-chaos-magic?fbclid=IwAR0cP47QmEF7RHcqfKujrsmO1am-FRK-uIBX0Q-LixRh9p7WhLKtKukbNR8
Next, the song Chaos Magic. It encapsulates the past hardcore work Parris has done and offers up a more mature, slick arrangement. Conversely, more mature does not mean it lacks the vitality or rawness.
Experience pays off. Parris does not shy away from thrash roots. Chaos Magic has Age Of Quarrel and Black Sabbath heaviness. However, once it launches into full speed (it changes several times) it is an adrenaline rush similar to the greatest songs to start a circle pit to. It has the speed of thrash and hardcore when it takes off.
I love that it is not overly technical in musicianship. On the other hand this does not mean musicianship is not 100% present. You can hear the proficiency without Parris trying to fit as many notes as possible in a short lick. The emphasis is on tempo, attitude, and rhythm. It is possible Chaos Magic contains a narrative that Parris built in. Consequently due to being instrumental, if you only heard the song by itself the listener may come up with their own take on story. The video allows for a more concrete picture.
The execution of the arrangement is done in a way that only someone from this school of New York Hardcore can deliver.
Also the drumming meshes perfectly. Tight and steady beats and tight fills. A few have said this has taken a long time. Maybe so. But what a payoff. Stay tuned. 9/10