Batman

They're from somewhere in Sunderland, UK and have been around since '89. I have two and a half albums downloaded on my ipod (ran outta space, greatest personal tragedy since idk when). I also have a split they did with Gainesville, Florida's Hot Water Music. The whole albums i have are Mush and Horsebox. The half album I have was their debut, Cherry Knowle.

Mush is ****ing amazing, pretty much front to back. It has a very pumped up sound, similar to Motorhead and other fast paced 80s hard rock/metal. I can definitely hear some Husker Du in there too. Loads of pretty melodies. Their guitars sound friggin huge. Lyrics deal with weariness, disillusionment, frustration, nostalgia, war, religion, etc. Frankie Stubbs' vocals are very raspy, heartfelt, and kinda buried under the roar of guitars; They may take time to get used to unless you're a fan of the vocal stylings of Blake Schwarzenbach's in Jawbreaker or that dude (can't remember his name) who sang for Crimpshrine. Bowl of Flies, Springtime, and the surprising and very well transcribed cover of The Police's "Message in a Bottle" would have to be my favorites. Track 10 (outta 15), "Baked Potatoes", was a weak spot in my opinion.



Horsebox was good too but was much slower. "Watching You Sleep" is my favorite song. There's another surprising cover of a Cindy Lauper song. I don't have as much to say about this album because I haven't listened to it as much as Mush and the Split.



On the Split with Hot Water Music, Leatherface takes tracks 1-6, HWM takes 7-11. The record starts strong with it's best song, "Andy". It's an ode to the band's former deceased bassist. Very melancholy and heart wrenching but still catchy. "Wax Lyrical" takes the silver, followed by the closing song "The Bitter End" which is HWM's (it would later be redone for Never Ender; the original is better imo). Perhaps it was intentional but the main thing that seems to keep the bands sounding separate is the vocals, which still sound pretty identical. Comparitively, HWM's later releases sound a lot more distinguished.



What I have from Cherry Knowle is for the most part a disappointment. It was their first album, though, and I suppose that may have something to do with it's being overshadowed by the other material I have from the band. Sublime is a good song.