Bandcamp Picks of the Week 7/18/18
We’re here with another installment of Bandcamp Picks of the Week
Future Corpse – CULTURE RUINS EVERYTHING AROUND ME
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Favorite Tracks: “Hyper Normal Living,” “Trapped in the Echo Chamber,” “Speak and Destroy,” “Culture Ruins Everything Around Me”
Last week’s Bandcamp Picks were a pair of accessible, catchy rock albums, but saying CULTURE RUINS EVERYTHING AROUND ME is antithetical to that pattern would be an understatement. This Australian trio are a self-described “prog-punk” trio whose 2016 debut, ANOTHER WORLD TO CONSUME, delivered labyrinthine punk songs with dizzying technical proficiency and riffs diverse in speed and tone, and their follow-up is no different. From the gentle, intricate acoustic opening that recurs on “Ideophobic” to the jazzy saxophone that adds even more tension to the escalating bridge of “Speak and Destroy,” Future Corpse bring consistent compositional complexity without sacrificing any intensity. The vocals have been streamlined for the better, conveying plenty of pent-up rage while remaining legible, and the music is also less compressed, allowing each instrumental twist and turn to be appreciated more. Even amidst the great instrumental work, it would be a mistake to ignore the lyrics; the best moments are Refused-esque diatribes that use sophisticated language to breathe life into familiar topics while never getting too wordy to turn away the laymen. “Trapped in the Echo Chamber” is a descent from skepticism to rejection of all truth with an especially devastating second verse, and the monolithic title track is like a sociological treatise on the invisible, insidious influence of institutions and culture which ends on a fantastically righteous revolutionary note. With the recent breakup of Dillinger Escape Plan, those who crave math rock complexity in their hardcore will find a new love in Future Corpse. If you want to reward bands who generously include lyrics on their Bandcamp page to make my job easier, there’s no better place to start than here. [Blake Michelle]
Respire – DÈNOUNCEMENT
Genre: Post-Metal
Favorite Tracks: “Bound,” “Shiver,” “Virtue,” “A Heart Still Pines,”
In the band’s own language, through social media, liner notes, and even their Bandcamp URL, Respire believe in the power of family and its ability to carry us when we may not be there to carry ourselves. DÈNOUNCEMENT, the Toronto metal act’s sophomore release, is about losing faith and strength before finding it again through the knowledge that you are not alone. It’s all there on “Bound,” the album’s opening track. Behind a bleak guitar tone that brings the song to its knees and double kick drums that reinforce the gloom, Egin Kongoli growls, “I wish I could undo the / Years spent drowning this in dust / I found the deafening silence so comforting / I lost all I had,” and his pleas are chilling. Attempting a bit of self-affirmation in the final moments, Kongoli tells himself “You’re more than this, I promise,” and just as on the rest of DÈNOUNCEMENT, that moment of mental perseverance is helped along by the band’s extended family, playing out amidst sunbursts of violin and trumpet. While plenty of metal acts have made use of the larger cannon of musical instruments, Respire’s flourishes of accordion, saxophone, piano, and viola (among others) are less musical affectations and instead subtle reinforcements of the community we need to lift ourselves up. The contrast between Kongoli’s suffocating lyrics and the group’s frequent forays into meditative peace is damning and emotionally lucid, from the suppressed tears in shouting “A loss profound / there’s nothing more” making way to a lone trumpeter guiding us home on “A Heart Still Pines,” to the moments of tranquility on “Virtue” before Kongoli faces his fears of the dark and of the night time (“I think I’m losing sleep again / I think I’m losing / I think I’m falling”) and all that comes with it (“I think I’m falling in love with this / I think I’m dying / I think I’m trying”). With DÈNOUNCEMENT, Respire have made one of the year’s most accessible and gut-wrenching metal albums, a brisk 36 minutes packed with plenty of musical moments that extend well outside the genre’s norms while servicing the band’s attempt at finding truth in others amidst our own demons. Give it a listen over on Respire’s Bandcamp. [CJ Simonson]
