(EDIT: – My personal blogging analyst Matt just informed me via comment that this is Amazon’s Deal Of The Day. If you have not heard of this deal of the day you should.)
Bring back the 90’s techno rock with Prodigy. From what I have gathered this CD sounds just like Music For The Gilted Generation mixed with The Fat Of The Land.
If you Twitter add twitter.com/amazonmp3 to your followings… You never know what you are going to find.
God bless you Matt and Al Gore for creating the internet.
Before you even start thinking bad things let me say that LeATHERMOUTH is not My Chemical Romance nor is their sound remotely close. Don’t judge this band until you pop the CD in and hear it for yourself as it has nothing to do with happy times or even emo pop punk. XO is brutal and has the anger of Gallows combined with the outspoken reflection on the world like the Dead Kennedys, a nice combination I might add. Add some fuming hate that has been building up for years and you have yourself one pissed off release.
Having not researched the band prior to my first listen, the only thing I knew about LeATHERMOUTH was that they, according to the CD booklet, were “bass, drums, two electric guitars, and vocals.” After some research I learned that they are a hardcore band formed almost out of pure bottled up anger by the guitarist of the chart topping wonders My Chemical Romance.
The band was actually formed by friends of Frank Iero who finally joined them after the band stated that their initial lead singer failed to write lyrics for the songs they created. Hearing this disappointing news, Frank Iero took the reigns as the lead singer of the band and wrote all the lyrics for the songs.
I still was not convinced of the idea of an almost pop punk band member being in a hardcore side project and almost passed on listening to the CD until I read what Frank Iero told Epitaph.com:
“There’s too much bad hair and white belts. Sometimes it nice to turn your brain off and just listen to someone sing about girls. I’m not knocking it. I do think there is a time and a place. ButLeATHERMOUTH isn’t like that… it’s about hate. Hate that boils up inside and eats away at you, if you don’t vomit it up you know it will eventually destroy you.”
After reading that I quickly grabbed my copy of XO and threw it in my CD player and the result was enough anger to make any smiling face turn to a stern frown. Fans of My Chemical Romance, you should stop reading now; LeATHERMOUTH has nothing to do with that happy high school punk rock music you cherish.
The opening song “5th Period Massacre” set the mood by talking about the overflowing sad amounts of suppressed anger from bullied youth only to explode into a shooting at an education institution. The music was heavy, the lyrics were graphic, and the anger was all so tempting.
Following the impressive opening track was “Catch Me If You Can” a hardcore melee full of breaking the law and causing chaos and rebellion. The song was actually created from letters written by serial killer Jack The Ripper making for an even more interesting track.
The mortal “Murder Was The Case That They Gave Me” was far from Snoop Dogg and more so The Bronx with pure hate energy throughout. “Sunsets Are For Muggings” not only humored me by the title but seemed to reach back to the 80s hardcore punk sound. “My Love Note Has Gone Flat” seemed to just strangle any decent thought in my head. “Bodysnatchers 4 Ever” was chaotic, ruthless, and very suggestive of old school horror flicks again with the energy simular to the Bronx.
For Frank Iero’s first attempt at being a lyricist and lead singer I think he nailed it. His raspy scratchy voice lies perfect with the hardcore feel the rest of the band provided. Their music will make you angry and that seems to be LeATHERMOUTH’s soul intention and with that, they have provided a serious impression on me with XO.
Angry, loud, and hardcore is all you need to know about this CD. If you like horror movies, being angry at the world, and fast furious hardcore music with exceptional force this CD is for you. If you like songs about girls in high school and mild mischief don’t even bother.
Rock band Clutch collectively released a new CD from their side project band, which some claim is an alter ego of sorts called The Bakerton Group. Focusing mostly on instrumental music, the four-some recently, with help from Per Wibeg of Opeth, released El Rojo. The outcome of this CD strays slightly from the stoner rock but travels more so down the jam band style of music with elements of jazz and blues.
The Maryland rock act Clutch has been rocking out since 1990 and although they never reached the mainstream level, they have a huge fan base and have sold tons of albums as well as toured the world. Their hard work over the years got them where they are today including a following of fans, more of a cult following as Clutch does not get played on the radio much nor do they have countless music videos for their material. The band, which barely slows down, tours constantly and has eight albums under their belts.
The Bakerton Group was formed around 1999 by the members of Clutch perhaps to just try something different and expand their musical creativity. Their first EP titled Space Guitars was released in 2000 and is still available for free download on the band’s website. It was not until 2007 when a full length self titled album was released on River Road Records. El Rojo marks the second release by the band and this time has been released on Clutch’s very own label Weathermaker Music.
The Bakerton Group is more of a rock jam session that will appeal to more than just one type of fan. It’s easy to compare the sound to Clutch as all four members contribute. I admit that while listening to some tracks I was waiting for Clutch lead singer Neil Fallon to bellow out over the music. While listening though I had to keep reminding myself El Rojo is an instrumental project full of a surplus of music types.
With El Rojo being my first taste of the Bakerton Group, I did not know quite what to expect other than instrumental songs. Starting off the CD was “Time Horizon”. All I could think of was how Clutch sounding the track was. Being as big of a Clutch fan as I am, I was glad to hear the music, and it rocked, but my first taste of this side project was nothing out of the ordinary to me.
The CD really didn’t hit me until “Bien Clasico” played with intermittent crazy saxophone playing that even John Zorn would smile at. The song had sort of a Disco Biscuits feel at times sans the electronics blips and bleeps. The potent organ solo on “Life On Lars” was something worth listening over and over again. “M.(F).H.S.” became predictable sounding at times but turned out to be one of my favorite jams on the entire album.
I could not help but smile while listening to “Work Em” as perhaps Neil could not control himself as he just screamed out in the middle of the song finally giving me that total Clutch fix I was yearning for. Whispering robot sounds added to the fun of this track not to mention the length of the song. If there is any song on the album you want to preview to get a taste of what the Bakerton Group sounds like, this is a perfect song to start with.
For those of you who think the songs on El Rojo might be Clutch songs that never made it to one of their CDs, you are to a degree correct. El Rojo to me was more intimate Clutch music that usually only can be heard behind closed doors when the band just feels like rocking out and not going to plan. This is the music you only wish you could have heard before perhaps as a b-side or as filler at a live show. The music is solid, composed, and extensive at times making for a great CD to just sit back and listen to.
The Bakerton Group will be touring with Clutch in support of El Rojo. Technically speaking Clutch will be touring as The Bakerton Group opening for Clutch. Does that make sense? Who cares. If you are a fan of Clutch you will love the Bakerton Group and should not pass up the opportunity of a full forced night of music when they hit your city. If you are not a fan of Clutch but appreciate good musicianship, you too should at least sample the CD, you might just like it.
-For more info on Clutch and The Bakerton Group check out www.pro-rock.com
-Head over to The Bakerton Group’s website and download the Space Guitars EP for free.
-For some extra content plus info on The Bakerton Group plus other Clutch projects check out Brooklyn Vegan.
-Here are some videos of The Bakerton Group from past shows:
New Jersey post-hardcore act Thursday has a lot to be proud about. Being credited with bringing the screamo genre to the mainstream level as well as have been labeled in 2004 as SPIN Magazine’s “The Next Big Thing” are just a couple of reasons why. This six-piece did not invent the screamo genre but rather took it to a new level. With all they have accomplished I can not believe they have been a band for just over ten years now.
Currently the band is about to release their fifth full-length album, entitled Common Existence. This time around the band has teamed up with the punk rock independent label Epitaph Records and hopes to continue to wow their fans while, at the same time, recruit new ones. The band will be headlining the Taste Of Chaos tour this year in support of their new release alongside rousing acts Bring Me The Horizon, Four Year Strong, Pierce The Veil, and the Cancer Bats.
Just in case you have no idea what screamo exactly is, imagine melodic emo music mixed with post-hardcore fury and occasional throat-destroying screaming throughout. Some find the music terribly annoying but there are many like myself who can not get enough. I just love the fragile, sorrow feel during some songs only to be smacked over and over with screams not many can endure. The first time I heard screamo was actually the first time I listened to Thursday’s debut with Victory Records called Full Collapse and I admit I was highly entertained.
I had already gotten a preview of the CD single “Resuscitation Of A Dead Man” earlier this year when the band streamed the song on their website, but it was not until this second helping that I realized how great of a song it is. Less screamo and more hardcore is all I can think about on this track that features Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath contributing vocals. “Last Call” follows with Geoff Ricky’s all-so-familiar, lamenting vocals.
Previously appearing on the band’s 2008 split EP with Japanese hardcore band Envy was “As He Climbed The Dark Mountain.” The song hinted towards Thursday’s juvenile years with more of their signature screamo fashion but came with a twist as heavy distortion and pitch shifts dominated throughout.
“Friends In The Arms Forces,” which featured Quicksand’s Walkter Schriefels, seemed a little cut down from the other tracks on the CD but was still enjoyable. The song, inspired by the band member’s friendship with someone currently serving overseas, is a protest of the basis but full of wishes of protection as different emotions spiral throughout. “Beyond The Visible Spectrum” was very astray from the Thursday norm at times with a more mellow, mostly post-hardcore sound. As much as I want to say I was not getting into it, the truth is… I was. I especially dug the reverb throughout the track and the sudden conclusion that left me wanting more.
“Time’s Arrow” was almost a whisper compared to everything else on this CD. The song started out ever so gentle and had this, dare I say, almost a Muse/Radiohead experimental style going on. I loved it. This song was the most untried song I have heard Thursday perform so far and I still crave more of it.
This album deserves to be listened to over and over again by old school fans of Thursday as well as by random newcomers. I myself can not keep Common Existence out of my CD player. The overall sound suggests that the band has taken a departure from the genre commonly attributed to them. It appears the one-time pioneers of screamo really focused on taking what they know and have expanded it with their musical creativity. The result is some really amazing songs, some of which I did not expect to hear.
It’s nice to see the band try something new while still holding on to their own uniqueness. Common Existence is ongoing evidence that Thursday continues to mature and, honestly, this album has turned me into an even bigger fan.
Here is a recently released clip of the making of Thursday’s upcoming music video for “Resuscitation Of A Dead Man”:
