Backstabbers Inc.
Kamikaze Missions
(trash art!, 2004)
Well, the first track is an intro, so really there’re only 13 songs full of contemporary hate from the northeasterners in Backstabbers Inc. The most startling discovery on this plate is that there is rhythm in most every song (especially “Ask, Answer”). After the inception of HC style in the early eighties, a number of bands simply began playing as fast as possible. And while that yielded interesting effects, the inclusion of rhythm changes the music. The music maintains its’ inherent viciousness, but instantly becomes more easily digestible. It’s noise that swings. And here it achieves the ever-elusive groove. In hardcore the tempo is obviously as nauseatingly fast as possible, and then the breakdown. Backstabbers include a third tempo; there’s a sort of real fast punk tempo (between the thrash and the breakdown) that moves songs along in an interesting way. This is displayed to some extant on “Even Slaves Will Be Swimming In the Blood of the Iron Fist”, which boasts the chanted chorus of, “We are not you’re fucking friends/Not now/Not fucking ever”. But, the title of this track brings me to a point that needs to be made. Long, pompous titles (ala Shai Hulud), don’t automatically make you a thinking man’s band. Maintaining your ideals while thoughtfully articulating them makes you a smart dudes rock outfit. At-least these guys sound authentically pissed, I’d buy it even if rock music is all posturing. Production, as much as posturing, always plays a paramount role in how an album is perceived overall. On this slab, the production fits the music. But the vocals, already unintelligible yelps of disdain, are drowned out regularly by guitar attacks. Troublesome, but fitting. Oddly, I can understand his anger without the words.
Crimson Sweet
Eat The Night
(Shake It Records, 2005)
To begin with the gentlemen who produced this album, Martin Bisi, has worked with Laswell, Iggy, Zorn, Sonic Youth, The Ramones and countless others. So, at least this mess should sound better than your average punk album. It’s doesn’t though. “Copper Flashes” may lead one to believe that the album that follows this introduction is an incredible, dumb-fuck-punk album, but it’s not. Solely based upon “Copper Flashes” though, this album is worth picking up if you can find it used. The song starts with the most mangled shrieking I have ever been blessed enough to hear. Anguish can’t even begin to describe the emotion behind this yelling. Whenever this was recorded, I imagine Polly Watson exhausted and in need of a shower after completion of this track. The following nine tracks, though, are basically a waste of time. They’re all perfunctory mid paced rockers with Polly swinging back and forth between her growling and attempted singing. I will say that the cover of “Disowned” by The Live Ones (I’m not going to even pretend that I know who they are) is almost good but, the band gets to the chorus three times in about a minute and a half. If nothing else though it’s good that some folks are still playing punk like this. On the other hand, not everyone needs to hear it.