EVERYBODY’S FIGHTIN' FOR THE PROMISED LAND
I wish the excellent new Bright Eyes album had come out during a week where I wasn’t already in a loud mood because I’m sure one of those gems would have made its way here. Alas, here we are, being loud together.
Guns N’ Roses - Civil War
Thrice - Deadbolt
Truckfighters - Desert Cruiser
Blackway & Black Cavier - What’s Up Danger
Sharptooth - Say Nothing (In the Absence of Content)
Poppy - Concrete
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Milk Lizard
The Bloody Beetroots - Church of Noise (Feat. Dennis Lyxzén)
Fall Out Boy - Young and Menace
Deftones - Ohms
My wife and I watched Cool Hand Luke Thursday night, mostly because it’s one of her favorite movies (see: Paul Newman) and I hadn’t seen it yet. We tried to watch it once before when we first started dating, but as things go, we got distracted and never finished it. No matter, we got there 8 years later, and in the midst of Strother Martin doing his best Leslie Jordan, I was reminded how much I love “Civil War” by Guns N’ Roses—which starts off Use Your Illusion II with his famous monologue from Cool Hand Luke. I love the drama: the southern drawl, the delicate acoustic guitars, the eruption of Axl Roses’ operatic/Bart Simpson howl. Slash squeezes blood from stones on these solos, all molten blues, thunder and wah pedal lightning. If I’m being honest, it’s Queen for skater boys, but it works. Guns N’ Roses aren’t necessarily lauded for their activism or political savvy, unless you count Axl’s weird Twitter feud with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, but “Civil War” is a ballad that rages for the rights of personhood amidst the military industrial complex. Maybe one day, we’ll get there too.
Thrice have slowed as their career has progressed. They’ve experimented with electronics, added acoustic and post-grunge touches, and largely abandoned the skate punk that make them underground sensations. Up and until Major/Minor, their output had been extremely consistent (though that album and their two reunion LPs have some gems as well). But the two times I’ve seen Thrice, the one song that got everybody going was “Deadbolt,” an absolutely blistering riff explosion that feels like you’re hurdling towards a brick wall. Aside from being a manic (and at times, dark) record, The Illusion of Safety’s blend of punk fury and thick metallics is full of joy. I guess there’s something to be said for growing older and becoming more reflective, but maybe Thrice’s career should be a reminder that we should enjoy of the feeling of running 100 mph while stuff is all messed up.
Back when private torrent trackers were all the rage, I was on a quest to put together a playlist that was full of big-bodied desert rock and stoner metal. I needed more (and still do) than Kyuss and early Queens of the Stone Age could give me. When I found Gravity X by the Truckfighters, everything changed. “Desert Cruiser” is full of Neanderthal guitars, sturdy drumming, and heaving leads soaked in burnt motor oil. The lyrics are focused mostly on rad shit—by that I mean going very fast in a big ass muscle car. Every once in a while, you need some cave man stuff and the open road to unwind. Perhaps the most interesting part is that the band is from Örebro, Sweden, so being able to distill America’s fascination with big stuff going fast into a 7-minute jam fest seems even more impressive in hindsight. Then again, maybe it’s not as uniquely American as we might think.
The Into The Spiderverse soundtrack slaps. I’ll admit, I had some doubts with Post Malone anchoring the lead single (which grows on you over time), but it’s actually a wonderful mix of modern hip hop and R&B that is more abrasive than you’d expect. “What’s Up Danger” is one of my favorites though, from the siren sample beginning, to the echo chamber beat and hypnotic synth line. It’s a brash statement that exudes confidence, awash with a vocoded chorus, bold horns, and frenzied strings. I have no delusions that a movie like Into The Spiderverse doesn’t fix the very White MCU, but I think what struck me most was its willingness to highlight the overdue need for empathetic Black male role models in a world that constantly others BIPOC family experiences. That’s why “What’s Up Danger” is such a great way to lead off this soundtrack—it’s a fervent acknowledgement of the risks of living in a White world, and demonstrates how meet that head on.
Sharptooth is one of my favorite discoveries in 2020. It’s hard to stand out in a sea of hardcore bands but self-awareness helps. The breakdown on this thing is a nuclear explosion and singer Lauren Kashan’s wit makes the difference. If you are looking for a soundtrack to break something to, check out their new album, Transitional Forms.
Poppy is a cipher, a reflecting pool of the internet’s unreality and reality all at once. I Disagree is a mind-bending odyssey that’s as funny as it is expertly crafted. To “get” Poppy as an internet phenomenon is to embrace the absurdism of our digital selves, which are often more real than our IRL selves these days. “Concrete” is the lead track from I Disagree and it marries sludgy Slipknot riffing with J-pop twee. I’m amazed at her ability to balance genre slippage without devolving into self-parody, though I think depending on how you feel about Poppy as a “concept,” you’ll either love it or think it’s cornball no matter the talent involved. I’m firmly in the camp of “this whips” because what other song can get you to admit a kink like “Turn me into a street…?” Not many.
“Milk Lizard” is where metal gets freaky. The crawly main riff gives way to a drunk brass section, while Greg Puciato oscillates between anthemic and tough guy bark. That’s not even addressing the robotic free jazz, or the piano laden outro as everything fades into a wall of distortion and double bass. It’s oddly…dancey? The Dillinger Escape Plan are not the most approachable mathcore band in a live setting, but the one time I saw them live, “Milk Lizard” was the only recognizable song in an overwhelming sea of white noise and aggression. Sometimes a little structure goes a long way. I’m just surprised that a sang called “Milk Lizard” can provide that level of order in the universe.
I don’t profess to be a Bloody Beetroots fan but I love this song. It came out at a time where people still had hope for a Refused reunion but just before Dennis Lyxzén’s dad-activism made you cringe. This was built for arenas, with its 4/4 beat and Lyxzén’s punk rasp. The “five fingers to make a fist” line ages as well as you’ll allow it to, but in 2020, it takes on new significance as the United States stands on the precipice of open fascism.
I get that people don’t like post-reunion Fall Out Boy but the absolute weirdness that they’ve continue to exhibit after Folie à Deux yields some wonderful results. I also get that many will not be here for the Skrillex meets chipmunk voice chorus, it’s so overly profane that I can’t help but hum alongside all these jackhammer beats and twisted electronics. That “Oops!…I Did it Again” interpolation though.
It’s official: Deftones season is upon us. “Ohms” is the first single off their highly anticipated new album and it continues to exude what the band does best: surreal atmospheres, punishing riffs, and Chino Moreno’s passionate singing. The best Deftones material feels like a sexy nightmare and that’s what “Ohms” is full of, especially with an outro that finds Stephen Carpenter’s spidery guitar lines climbing towards the clouds. 2020 feels like its own unending nightmare, so I think in a weird way, we’re ready for an album that will peel back the layers of our own psychodrama. There aren’t many bands I would trust with this task but I think the Deftones are up to the challenge.
Originally published August 22, 2020 as part of Hella Vibes.