As a writer, it’s hard not to fall into patterns, especially
when taking as specific a focus as “extreme music blogger,” an emphasis that
deals in often-similar styles and textures. While these patterns are evident in
the writing of me and others in many places, one of the worst might occur when
writing about split albums.
For whatever reason, splits tend to be more or less glossed over
by music writers, reduced mostly to a competitive structure that assesses which
band out-performed the other and whether the loser is an outclassed upstart or
an old fogey that simply lost its mojo. This approach ignores the fact that
splits, when done right, can be more like full-length albums with a different set
of performers on each side (sound familiar, Scum
fans?) and it takes an excellent example of the form, like this split LP
between Cloud Rat and Republic of Dreams, to jar me and my compatriots from debilitating
reviewer lethargy.
Michigan’s Cloud Rat opens its side with the sludgy
post-metal of “Burning Doe,” a move that simultaneously bucks expectations and
accentuates the strength of the band’s songwriting. While an example of the
“slow opening song” trope found on From
Enslavement to Obliteration and scores of albums after it, the song is
remarkable for two things: firstly, with its Isis-indebted quiet-loud structure,
buoyed by blasts near its middle section, it is the rare instance of that trope
that doesn’t crib stylistically from early Swans; secondly, it’s one of even
fewer examples that has re-playability tied to its own merit and not simply the
notion that, “Hey, it’s a grindcore band playing slowly!”
Second track blast-force “Parachute” opts to skip the subtleties and stomp the accelerator out of the gate, offering a memorable, no-nonsense 51 seconds of sweet-spot grind. The song is equally tight instrumentally and in terms of construction. This is what well-made grindcore does: take whatever time it needs to prove its point and then stop. There’s no dignity in wearing out your welcome, and stretching ideas farther than they need to go is as painful to the listener as it is the song structure.
Second track blast-force “Parachute” opts to skip the subtleties and stomp the accelerator out of the gate, offering a memorable, no-nonsense 51 seconds of sweet-spot grind. The song is equally tight instrumentally and in terms of construction. This is what well-made grindcore does: take whatever time it needs to prove its point and then stop. There’s no dignity in wearing out your welcome, and stretching ideas farther than they need to go is as painful to the listener as it is the song structure.
Cloud Rat’s range within their chosen form never ceases to
impress me. The stuttery opening riff on “Moving Mouths,” the
sludge-courting heavy punk of “Keba” and the transition from blasting grindcore
to vocalist Madison's acapella singing on “Stench of Sage” interact side-by-side perfectly
without so much as a raised eyebrow. For some time now, Cloud Rat have been among
the best active groups in modern grindcore, so the fact that this is their best
material to date should indicate something pretty significant.
Republic of Dreams, who occupy the other half of this split,
are a German and Polish screamo/emoviolence
three-piece with a focus on the fast and intense side of that spectrum. Grindcore
fans looking for a screamo gateway drug will find it in this band, who serves
as an excellent foil to the emotional, nuanced grinding of a typical Cloud Rat
release.
The contribution from Republic of Dreams is a lean, frenetic
bunch of songs, keeping an average length around a minute-and-a-half.
“There’s No Bullshitting Here” opens the side, and begins
with a disturbing, minute-long soliloquy seemingly plucked from a horror film
(though I can’t place its origin). The sample’s wracked closing scream blends
into feedback and punishing chords that dance in off-kilter, disorienting
patterns befitting the foggy streets and howling, feral inhabitants detailed by
the sample’s breathless narrator. The track plays out like a harrowing chase,
complete with pauses, backtracking and an abrupt, violent conclusion.
One of the screamo genre’s most striking features is its marriage of melodic sensibilities to hardcore punk’s standard unrelenting noise. “An Enlightened Macho is Still a Macho” is brimming with noodly earworm riffs but kept grounded by snappy hardcore drumming and emotive, varied screams.
One of the screamo genre’s most striking features is its marriage of melodic sensibilities to hardcore punk’s standard unrelenting noise. “An Enlightened Macho is Still a Macho” is brimming with noodly earworm riffs but kept grounded by snappy hardcore drumming and emotive, varied screams.
Closing number “(Your) Banality is Evil” slashes out of the
gate for its first 20 or so seconds, before sliding into a
meditative-but-energetic instrumental section that builds the requisite tension
for a final burst and subsequent collapse. Through use of minimalism and
repetition, the track builds a beautiful end-of-record momentum that doesn’t
suffocate the listener and the band uses just enough negative space to mandate
an immediate repeat listen to the whole record.
In the case of both bands, there is more happening lyrically
than your typical freeze-dried political straw man arguments or overdone,
consequence-exempt violence.
Cloud Rat’s lyrical focus is deeply personal, and sometimes
it’s possible to only grab snatches of meaning from the poetry. It seems almost
like prying to dissect these songs in a review, but many seem to deal with
painful experiences having to do with religion and spirituality, abuse and gender
issues. Yet while clearly packed with underlying significance, it’s possible to
simply enjoy the lyricism of lines like these from “Burning Doe”: “The leaves have this curl to them; / Racing
past, golden hues like wisps of a horse tail not yet fenced in.” There is
always more to unpack and discover in these songs, and vocalist/lyricist
Madison is quickly proving herself as one of grindcore’s finest writing
talents.
For Republic of Dreams, most lyrics are some combination of social and philosophical musings, with an alternately broad and personal bent. Songs from their side deal with machismo, impartiality, social change and a range of other topics, and include the added bonus of commentary on each song from the band’s lyricist. One of the more interesting is the economics-focused “(Your) Banality is Evil”: “Your ‘invisible hand’ is a force of regression / (Taking from the many, giving to the few). / Your ‘trickle down’ is (drop by drop) killing people. / Can you still believe all that nonsense?”
For Republic of Dreams, most lyrics are some combination of social and philosophical musings, with an alternately broad and personal bent. Songs from their side deal with machismo, impartiality, social change and a range of other topics, and include the added bonus of commentary on each song from the band’s lyricist. One of the more interesting is the economics-focused “(Your) Banality is Evil”: “Your ‘invisible hand’ is a force of regression / (Taking from the many, giving to the few). / Your ‘trickle down’ is (drop by drop) killing people. / Can you still believe all that nonsense?”
The LP’s packaging makes this a crucial release not just as music but as an artifact. While the individually screen-printed cover means that every copy won’t be an exact replica of the above digital image, it serves as a healthy reminder that this record is made for no one but you and the people who produced it; no intermediaries, no compromises. The booklet is beautifully laid out, and besides the lyrics contains a number of striking visual art pieces. Everything (the covers, the booklet and even the stickers that designate the sides) displays the same amount of care and it feels important. Punk is feeling like something matters and this is punk to its eyeballs.
Because of the quality found across its 20-minute runtime, this
split feels truly collaborative. “Winning” or “losing” the record doesn’t apply
here, because these artists feel like they’re on the same team. As a result, they
manage to produce what is one of the best releases of the year and a must-buy
album for dedicated extreme music fans.
You can purchase the split from IFB Records in the USA or React with Protest Records in Europe, or on Cloud Rat's upcoming US tour with thedowngoing.
[Note: Cloud Rat sent me a copy for review.]
[Edit: In the original version of this review, the phrase "vocalist Madison's acapella singing" read "(sampled?) singing" because I was unsure of the origin of the vocal that came after "Stench of Sage," and the phrase "effects-assisted stuttery riff" in the same paragraph was changed to "stuttery opening riff" in reference to the guitar work on "Moving Mouths" because I was unsure how the effect was produced. Guitarist Rorik has graciously informed me that the vocal on "Stench of Sage was Madison performing "Gloomy Sunday"("Szomorú vasárnap"), or "The Hungarian Suicide Song", and the guitar effect that opens "Moving Mouths" was produced not through an effects pedal or other artificial means but through an alternate picking technique.]
is it just me or has this been a seriously kick ass year for splits?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. Between splits and Monomaniac vol. 1, it's been pretty excellent for multi-band releases.
Deletei'm definitely gonna have to do a countdown of the best splits of 2012 at the end of the year. i've already decided that.
DeleteI need to start organizing the contenders for my year-end list and figuring out what categories I'm going to have this year. These things always sneak up on me, and I didn't even end up doing one for last year.
DeleteAwesome review. I haven't checked out the release yet, but your review coupled with the fact I find cloud rat one of the most interesting bands out there is burning a desire to check this out.
ReplyDeleteThanks, dude. Yeah, Cloud Rat are always excellent, and Republic of Dreams really surprised me, too. I listened to their side a hell of a lot. Cloud Rat made their side of the split free to download, but I definitely suggest getting a copy of the record, if you can: http://www.mediafire.com/?in9o8964s1nu5v7
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