Tortured Tongues, Rank/Xerox, Big Rats
» Each of these singles were self-released by the bands themselves, so if you like what you hear, make sure to head over/out and support them.
This week on TSC we've got a crop of new-breed punk rockers, all of which operate in different strata's of sound, yet all remain united under the banner of diy--each of these singles were self-released by the bands themselves, so if you like what you hear, make sure to head over/out and support them. With that little bit out of the way, let's get on with it, shall we?
Our first transmission this week comes in from Harrisburg, PA's Tortured Tongues and their Art of Murder EP on Lethal Triad Records. This gaggle of droogs purport to be descendants of glam royalty, however, given the glaring attitude problem they display throughout this EP, it's highly unlike that they can even spell S-L-A-D-E, let alone be related to them. Though, to their credit, there are odd bits of glam boogie floating (albeit atop a layer of scuzz so thick it could double as a blanket) throughout their otherwise drone-punk attack. The snide, nearly unintelligible B-Side "Extension Cord" is reminiscent of Clone Defects in its brazen repulsion of anything even remotely resembling a standard song structure, while A-Side "Arizona Murder" plays nice for the first few bars before erupting into a daylight destroying blur of sloppy guitars, ramshackle bass squelching and keyboards (?) that sound like battle sequence sound effects from Tron. You can file this lot next to Pigeon Religion in the next big thing/next to get arrested for huffing glue outside the Circle K sweepstakes. Still available from the label for a paltry $5, go and get you some before they's gone.
To follow that we have the first vinyl missive (after a long gone split cassette release with Grass Widow) from S.F.'s Rank/Xerox, the 3-song Basement/Furniture EP on the band's own Mondo Bongo imprint. Already a favorite on the left coasts, this Cali trio strike a precocious balance between nail-scraping, noisy hardcore hijinks (The A-Side) and synth-bedecked futuro-primitive punk ("Masking/Confessions") with just the slightest tinge of a Zounds influence. What's perhaps most impressive here is how Rank/Xerox accomplish so much with such a minimal set-up, achieving such a billowing, fully-formed sound in a trio format; the primordial thickness of their sound oozes from the speakers like spilled molasses, while its deceptive hooks wheedle their way into your brain and simply refuse to leave. Want to hear what the future of punk sounds like? Then hit up Mondo Bongo tuite suite and get on the train before it leaves the station for good.
Last but not least this week we've got the debut from Tampa's Big Rats, a self-titled 8 song demo self-released by the band. It's good 'n' pissed off like all the best hardcore is, and definitely exudes the same kind of grotty-yet-feral energy that Violent Minds once mustered so effortlessly. The straightforwardness of tracks like "Nudity" and "Napalm", which seethe with bile and daggers of distortion, seems slightly out of step with all the "mysterious guy hardcore" currently emerging from the Sunshine State, but in the end, that only serves to make these 8 hammer blows to the skull that much deadlier by comparison. If this sounds like your brand of violence, grip one straight from the band themselves before they disappear like a SxE kid at his first kegger.
That's all the scum that's fit to print this week, but make sure to re-direct your prow here next week for more beguiling sounds and supersonic fairy tales.
Posted on January 25, 2010
More on: tortured tongues, rank/xerox, big rats, the singles collection
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