i know we touched on this band in our underrated local artists thread, but i thought it deserved a thread of its own.

anybody else really digging this album? i think it's one of the best i've heard all year. j robbins did a fantastic job of bringing out the best in their sound. the dueling guitars and drum work are incredible. definitely reminiscent of early deerhoof. even the vocals are a little more focused on this album, and at times, they sound truly brilliant...tracks 1, 3, and 8 in particular. at times, the vocals are a little harder to bear (the beginning of track 7 ("small wevs"), for instance, but all in all, i think they work really well with the tension of the song. "small wevs" is interesting, because the vocals don't sound great at the beginning, but at the end of the song, they're the perfect solo on top of the chaotic guitars and drumming.

I checked out their MySpace and I love this. I'll be picking it up asap.

I really enjoy this a lot, and had been kind of holding back on making a thread because i figured no one liked it (there was a bit of a hate-fest in one of the other forums here i think).

Mostly people complain about the vocals, but i think the vocals are that kind of sassy banshee thing that i really enjoy. Kind of like a female Black Francis (circa 1988 and 1989), but less violent and more sugary-weird.

This is a great album for those who have ADD or drink too much caffeine (like myself), and i think it will have that kind of staying power because of how many twists and turns there are on this thing.

quote:

Originally posted by CleverName84:
This is a great album for those who have ADD or drink too much caffeine (like myself), and i think it will have that kind of staying power because of how many twists and turns there are on this thing.

absolutely man. every song is really got this bouncy or crazy roller coaster ride kind of feel. track 4 has so many crazy changes, which is right up my alley.

I actually feel that the vocals add a lot to the music... but I'm also the type of person who would rather the vocals contribute to the overall sound rather than be used on lyrical fodder.

I just listened to this again yesterday. It's a good album, makes me wish more people were into it, but whatever, that is the public's loss.

Anyhow, what's up with B-more lately? Seems like it's the new Montreal to LA's recent New York. That made no sense at all.

quote:

Originally posted by JGlass:
I actually feel that the vocals add a lot to the music... but I'm also the type of person who would rather the vocals contribute to the overall sound rather than be used on lyrical fodder.

yeah, i definitely agree. i am much more concerned with the sound of vocals than i am lyrics. lyrics can take away from songs as much as add to them.

regarding the baltimore scene, i definitely agree. there are a ton of really awesome baltimore bands/acts (ponytail, double dagger, dan deacon, yukon, wzt hearts, and many others...even wye oak are really great). for specifically punk music, you really can't do much better nowadays, in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by DCFan:

for specifically punk music, you really can't do much better nowadays, in my opinion.

Ohhhhhhh, now i'm curious to know what some of these Baltimore punk bands are. Would the Death Set be considered one of them? That's about as much as I know about Baltimore punk right now considering Baltimore is a good 3000 miles away.

I'm generally pretty tolerant of shrill vox, but I have trouble with this one. Music rawks though.

quote:

Originally posted by CleverName84:

quote:

Originally posted by DCFan:

for specifically punk music, you really can't do much better nowadays, in my opinion.

Ohhhhhhh, now i'm curious to know what some of these Baltimore punk bands are. Would the Death Set be considered one of them? That's about as much as I know about Baltimore punk right now considering Baltimore is a good 3000 miles away.

baltimore has a great punk scene. i can't think of one better in the country right now (at least, that i know of). here are bands i would check out first:

ponytail (you obviously know them)
double dagger (great punk, post-hardcore band....amazing live, if you ever get the chance to see them)
yukon (sort of math-rock/punk)
thank you (spastic art punk)

the death set is a baltimore definitely punk band, although a little more poppy than the bands above. that being said, i saw the death set on the F yeah tour with dan deacon and monotonix, and they put on a really fun show. great energy.

quote:

Originally posted by DCFan:

quote:

Originally posted by CleverName84:

quote:

Originally posted by DCFan:

for specifically punk music, you really can't do much better nowadays, in my opinion.

Ohhhhhhh, now i'm curious to know what some of these Baltimore punk bands are. Would the Death Set be considered one of them? That's about as much as I know about Baltimore punk right now considering Baltimore is a good 3000 miles away.

baltimore has a great punk scene. i can't think of one better in the country right now (at least, that i know of). here are bands i would check out first:

ponytail (you obviously know them)
double dagger (great punk, post-hardcore band....amazing live, if you ever get the chance to see them)
yukon (sort of math-rock/punk)
thank you (spastic art punk)

the death set is a baltimore definitely punk band, although a little more poppy than the bands above. that being said, i saw the death set on the F yeah tour with dan deacon and monotonix, and they put on a really fun show. great energy.

oh, and one more. oxes is another baltimore math-rock, sorta punk band that it is really great.

Good thing I came across this tread. I forgot about this band and wanted to listen to them.

this album has grown on me. originally i hated this band with a passion after seeing them open for battles, but i have to admit that their new album is solid (instrumentally at least). the vocals suck, and the whole weird, i'm going to make noises instead of sing thing has been done better in the past, and could be executed better by the vocalist of ponytail. i have harped on the vocals before, and i could so again, but i will hold back, except for one point: they sound a ton better on album than live. they were sloppy live (and not in the interesting kind of way that the album is instrumentally sloppy at times), but in the we are not synced up kind of way. the drummer was constantly bickering with the asian guy in the band whose amp broke, causing him to borrow konopka's amp (i forget if he played guitar, bass, or both - but he did manage to make equally as terrible chirping noises as the lead singer). the lead singer was just plain not melding with the rhythm of the band, she appeared tone deaf almost. it was almost surreal how bad she was. ok, i'm done bashing their performance, because all in all i can't deny that the band has talent after i listened to the new album a few times.

I've heard they're pretty good live. Maybe you experienced a rough night?

quote:

Originally posted by JGlass:
I've heard they're pretty good live. Maybe you experienced a rough night?

could very well be. they seemed kind of flustered after one of their amps broke (if dave konopka hadn't let them borrow his they probably wouldn't have been able to play). most people migrated to the bar soon after their set started. a few people laughed at the lead singer. most people were just shocked - i thought she was someone's younger brother who had snuck into the bar, and when she got up there and started pounding her chest like a gorilla and making grunting noises i was in disbelief. i, and others, didn't know if they were serious. it also doesn't help to be compared to battles (who were headlining), whose performance was perfect.

i've actually never seen them live. i keep missing them everytime they come through dc. i will be seeing them at whartscape this sunday though. i'm super excited for sunday's line-up...black dice, ponytail, double dagger, parts and labor.

i'll let you know what i think after i see them sunday!