“I knew you'd
understand what looks good with a black armband”
First
post of 2016.... it being three months into the new year and all. I
plead guilty with an explanation. Dirt City Chronicles, after 16
years exiled to the bootheel country of SW New Mexico is now back in
Albuquerque. With turnarounds to Amarillo and Deming and a 24 hour
motor trek from the Duke City to Appleton, Wisconsin out of the way,
I can finally settle back into my regular routine of gutter sniping.
From the desolate outbacks of New Mexico to the outskirts of
Albuquerque's westside, Dirt City Chronicles is back up and streaming
in glorious, compressed stereo. Boy Howdy!
As
a rule of thumb, post rock i.e. emo/screamo/math rock bands drew the
ire of local music aficionados. Looked upon as a blight, the boys of
angst never received their due nor garnered praises worthy of their
respective musical talents and recording output. The locals didn't
warm up to them, maybe it was the indecipherable lyrics or the
swirling racket over which they screamed. Whatever it was, you can't
unring that bell. Oh! Ranger, Kid Crash, Your Name in Lights, Pilot
to Bombardier, Dear Oceana, The City is the Tower..... we can sing
their praises now, it's ok. As a whole, they combined to create a
definitive Albuquerque sound that went shamefully unnoticed.
Archabald belatedly carries on that tradition.
Revolving
around the talents of vocalist Randy Bowen and guitarist Andy Othing
(who moonlights as Lowercase Noises, an ambient music project that
he's fronted since 2010) Archabald brings to mind Soular, one of the
Duke City's many under the radar bands. Bowen and Othing break much
of the same ground. Randy Bowen sounds enough like Marsh Shamburger
to cause a trained listener to wonder where they've heard that voice
before. If you're not familiar with Soular, search for 'em on
YouTube. “Relativity” and “Cannibal Heart” were first
released as teaser tracks for Archabald's latest long player,
“Relativity” released in Feb. of this year. It's Archabald's
third album and their most fully realized to date. Don't just take my
word, stream it at Bandcamp and perhaps purchase a copy.
I've
also slotted in two tracks from The City is the Tower.... described
on last.fm as “4 drunk dudes from Albuquerque, New Orleans, Boston
and Denver” Humor is in short supply in this genre, The City is the
Tower understood this and worked it, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Some members of The City is the Tower went on to form Dead Cousins, a
loud band, lacking most of the subtle nuances of its predecessor.
“Party Ideas” The City's “chart bending debut” is still
available for download at Media Fire as a zip file. The link can be
found on the band's Facebook page. By the way, James Whitten, mixed
and mastered The City's 2010 split 12” release (w/ Thou) “Dwell
in The Darkness of Thought and Drink the Poison of Life”
“All
this weirdness goes by just like a parade”
“A
Not Quite Perfect Film” and “Fragile” presented here in
modified form, were culled from the “last postcard from Chateau
Marmont” aka “Oddities, Obscurities & Obscenities” a well
timed retrospective collection from Lousy Robot, partially compiled
by Jim Phillips, completed by Dandee Fleming and John Dufilho. Spill
no tears, though meant as a tribute to Jim Phillips, who passed away
in May of 2015, “Oddities, Obscurities & Obscenities” isn't a
solemn affair. It's a joyous collection of long forgotten demos,
alternate versions and covers. This addition to the Lousy Robot
discography (their fourth album and the first since 2011) brings
closure to fans of the band. “You
give the longest compliments that I've ever heard, but not me I sing
and murder my days one at a time”
Chicharra's “Are You” is arguably
the best recording by local musicians this year, my favorite for
sure. The same can be said about their just released album
“Chicharra” a cassette and digital release that delivers a spongy
yet muscular beat that slithers in and out of your headphones. A
triumvirate of bass players and vocalists (Mauro Woody, Monica
Demarco, Marisa Demarco.... John Butler sits behind the drum kit)
make Chicharra unlike any other band around these parts (what with
the troika of bass guitars and all) You don't see or hear that every
day. Two videos accompany “Are You” (one features dancer Reba
Heloise doing the Sand Dance on a sand bar, on a below freezing day)
Watch them.
Short bursts of sustained anger are the
best form of expression.“Who the hell are you to tell me how to
feel?” Weedrat is punk rock distilled in its purest form, as
potent as Pappy's corn squeezins “Fuck
your stupid job and life, Fuck your dog and fuck your wife” is
a mantra that we can all live by. You feel me on this.... Weedrat
gets in your face in order to deliver a message. We all take a big
bite out of the same shit burger.... but we don't have to like it or
keep quiet. Given your turn at the podium, grab the opportunity and
fuck things up. If it's too loud, you're too old or already dead.
“It's just a bad day, it's not unusual, I just need some sleep”
They're preaching to the choir, but no sleep till peace.
A
Not Quite Perfect Film ~ Lousy Robot
Worry
Don't Worry ~ Jen Olive
Pastel
Daydream ~ Azula
The
Warnings ~ Sad Baby Wolf
Snacktualize
it ~ The City is the Tower
Are
You ~ Chicharra
Relativity
~ Archabald
Tectonic
~ Starsky
Don't
Tell Me ~ Weedrat
The
Quiet Few ~ Beard
Tangled
Threads ~ Litter Brain
Bad
Day ~ Weedrat
Meeting
Monsters ~ Kid Dinosaur
Fragile
~ Lousy Robot
Cannibal
Heart ~ Archabald
Well...aaa...wumpapum
~ The City is the Tower
Tin
Ceiling ~ Starsky
