Isbjørn

Now, I don’t know a lot about hardcore punk, even though I listen to some of it. But I do understand that this must’ve sent shockwaves through the American underground when it was released. Instead of abrasive lyrics about extreme politics, the lyrics here are introverted and almost poetic. Songs vary between rock-your-socks-off hardcore tunes, mid-tempo pop punky songs, and even ballads. This album sure hit a sweet spot.



There goes a line from Zen Arcade to Rites of Spring and onward to Moss Icon. What you can hear on this collection is emotive hardcore developing into a style of its own. I can’t really comment on the lyrics, since they are largely unintelligible, but they’re delivered mostly through screaming, and sometimes speaking. The songs are mostly slow or mid-tempo, and the dynamics shift between calm and extremely loud. There is even some mellow arpeggiated guitar playing reminiscent of the “twinkly” sound typical in the Midwest emo style. I’ve come to know that this isn’t really a complete discography, so I might look more into the band later.

I’d heard of this album before, but it wasn’t available on Spotify at the time, so I forgot about it until I discovered that it was available earlier today I listened to it during math class, and later during gymnastics. What can I say? It’s a ****ing sonic attack, unlike anything I’ve heard before. The drum machine gives the album a feeling of preciseness, but the noise and sheer speed makes it sound unpolished and raw at the same time. Great for running. I also think it make me write tables and generate graphs faster.

[CENTER]Picks: “Colombian Necklace”, “Pavement Saw”

4/5

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