Blacklisters

Now these guys are so damned good it's just offensive.  No band has the right to be this mind-blowing.  And I know they must good because there's next to no information out there on them.  Also, I haven't posted here in months so they've definitely stirred something in me. Sure, there are clear Jesus Lizard and Steve Albini influences to be found, but when has that ever been a bad thing?  And once you get past the comparisons, you begin to realise that Blacklisters have an unmistakable sound all of their own which is what I'm always looking and, alas, is all too rare.  Better still, underneath that wonderful barrage of noise are some of the most ridiculously catchy songs I've heard in some time.

Here's some entertaining footage from the Leeds Festival 2010 (hometown gig incidentally).  You'll also find Bandcamp links to free downloads so go get 'em.  Now!   

http://blacklisters.bandcamp.com/

http://blacklisters.bandcamp.com/album/belt-party-ep

Brain Banger

Brain Banger features two-thirds of the ridiculously incredible Young Widows.  Indeed, Nick Thieneman and Jeremy McMonigle were already acting as rhythm section for BB before they were united for the same duties in YW.  Not surprisingly, both bands have a lot in common sound-wise.  What I find distinguishes the two bands and makes it worth spending time in the listening company of both is they each writes damn good songs.  So, while I was instantly reminded of 'Settle Down City' the first time I heard BB it wasn't long before I was able to let go of the comparison because the latter three-piece have proven themselves more than capable of producing their own catchy racket that quickly nestles itself in your skull.

For the record, it's a tad annoying to see these bands described condescendingly as a throw-back to grunge and noise from the early to mid-90s.  Sure, they're worthy of comparison to great bands from that era but make no mistake, this is noise-rock for the 21st Century and it's more relevant than ever given the piss-poor quality of what's supposed to pass for alternative over the last decade.

You'll find more about the band below, plus a track each from their two releases to date - debut album, Yellow Belly, and recent EP, Munsoned.  Highly recommended.

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Catchy

Tooth

Not a noise-rock band in the strictest sense of the term but still pretty damn noisy, Tooth are second only to Kerbdog as my all-time favourite Irish band.  They arrived and left all too soon, leaving behind just a demo and an eight-track EP, That Corporate Emotion (2000).  You can check out the latter here.

Intense performers live, Tooth knew how to hit a groove but also how to construct songs that ebb and flow before building to an almighty crescendo.  Their sound takes in elements of metal, post-hardcore, alternative rock, indie, post-hardcore, and grunge.  To me they just sound like Tooth.

appetiser

Young Widows previewing a track from the best album of 2011?  I believe so.

a hammer to the head

Hammerhead - ‘Tuffskins’ from Ethereal Killer.  Stellar live performance at CBGB.  Oh, how I wish I had been there.  More about these guys in the future.

Unsane

Lo and behold, I give you noise-rock kings, Unsane. Over 20 years have passed since the New York-based trio’s formation and they sound as pissed off as ever.  All the more reason to love them.  You’ll find no poignant acoustic strumming or sombre piano moments here.  Unsane have been nothing if not consistent throughout their existence delivering countless prime slabs of their unique metal-hardcore-rock-blues-noise hybrid.  Topping it all off are the instantly recognisable tortured howls of vocalist/guitarist, Chris Spencer.
 
The band have just released their first recording since 2007’s Visqueen and they’re carrying on exactly where they left off.  This time around, the band are submitting a new 3-track EP to an unsuspecting public via Coextinction Recordings, which both Spencer and bassist Dave Curran have co-founded along with James Paradise (Fresh Kills, Players Club, Pigs) and producer Andrew Schneider (Slughog, Pigs).

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Coextinction Recordings

Dolly Mixture

Black Elk

At the forefront of the new wave of noise-rock are the Los Angeles/Yacolt four-piece Black Elk.  The ghost of The Jesus Lizard looms large, yet never did David Yow and co sound this ferocious.  There’s a whole lot of sonic weirdness going on with Erik Trammell proving himself to be an inventive guitarist who can both bewilder and batter the listener with effects-heavy psychedelic noodlings suddenly exploding into crushing riffs.  Factor in vocals bordering on the insane and an intensely tight rhythm section and you have yourself the ingredients of prime 21st Century noise.

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3 of the Best

Ladder Devils

What does the name mean?  I dunno.  What I do know is that these guys have produced the best noise-rock release of 2010 with their debut EP, Forget English.  And they’re giving it away for free.  Absolutely diriculous!!!  Get it here.

Featuring two members of heavy-as-a-heavy-thing posse The Minor Times, Ladder Devils bring to mind what’s now being coined the Kentucky sound with Young Widows being an obvious comparison.  However, this four-piece are furrowing their own path with a fearsome two-pronged vocal attack and an off kilter quality to their sound, plus a determination to make each track distinctive in its own right.  Hence, beyond noise-rock comparisons, ‘Pyramid’ brings to mind Antenna-era Cave In, while the intro to the brilliant ‘Common Dogs’ channels Tacoma’s much lamented pioneers Botch.  Captivating from start to finish, this is the kind of release that will still sound fresh a decade on.

the road to ruin ...

Crash! Bang! Wallop! What a racket!  Noise-rock, glorious noise-rock.  I'll no doubt ask myself many times why I bothered to create a blog but one - and perhaps the only - good reason is to spread the love of some of the most under-rated bands in rock.  What the majority of these bands have in common is a sound that's just too damn ugly to be loved by the mainstream or the underground.   Instead, they stalk some kind of netherworld creating all sorts of grating, jarring, rattling, screeching, pounding, grueling, and punishing noises.  These are also the catchiest and most downright rocking tunes I've had the pleasure of inflicting upon myself.  So, if I achieve nothing more than to entice readers to make their acquaintance with such fine purveyors of distortion as Young Widows, Black Elk, Hammerhead, and Unsane, then sure, what the hell, it'll be worth it.