Youthanize

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:13:00 +0000

Travis Richter and Derek Bloom from the Color of Violence are also in the band From First to Last. Confession: I don’t like the band From First to Last. There’s something about sing-songy vocals in hardcore music that just doesn’t feel right, and that’s pretty much FFTL’s M.O. For me, they’re a bit like cheddar cheese on Chinese food. Both cheddar and Chinese food are good on their own, but together, they equal something that makes me think about that time at the fair when I rode the Octopus after eating three corn dogs and more than my share of extra-greasy funnel cake.

HOWEVER! The Color of Violence is brash and sassy and screamy and heavy-drummy-mathy-fuzzy-howly-guitary. The artwork on Youthanize is covered with sex, bacon faces, and skulls. They have a song called “Crapandemic” which sounds exactly like you would think a “Crapandemic” would sound like. It is like the summer I ate the E. coli-tainted bagged spinach set magically to music.

This is what post-hardcore is supposed to be about; it is supposed to be a migraine headache and a violent bowel movement with guitar and drums. The only vague moment of sing-songy comes on “Look! I Made It! I’m Dating an Actress!,” which is still balanced by plenty of growling-guitar swagger. Sure, there is no question they glean much of their influence from bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, but they one-up their competition with two drummers!

You may ask why any band would need two drummers, but then I would ask you to ask King Buzzo why the Melvins and Big Business needed two drummers when they played together as The Most Amazing Band in the World. Then I would ask you to ask yourself (right after you ask me why I ask so many questions) how much more amazing two drummers are then one. They sound like half an octopus (the sea-beast, not the pukey fair ride), and if you multiply half an octopus with baconface-skulls and mathy guitars, it roughly equals awesome.

My mind is blown. It feels like there are fish swimming around in my brain, which means that I am re-thinking the cheddar-covered Moo Shu pork I ate for lunch. Superb.

Written by: Emily S. Dunster, September 29th 2009

Cornucopia EP/DVD

admin — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 19:01:00 +0000

By The Color Guard

Suziblade Music

I must admit, on the first couple of listens to the Cornucopia EP, the music brought me back to high school when I had bands like Veruca Salt and Throwing Muses on heavy rotation in my Sony Discman. The question is: was it solely the nostalgia for my high school listening habits that lead me to appreciate this largely estrogen-laced pop metal? Kind of.

The first song on the EP, “Capture,” is a largely disjointed mess of a melody that switches time signatures in a way that simply makes the song unlistenable. To top it off, Lalena’s somewhat nasal and weak voice was severely off key on an already off-key and disjointed melody. Additionally, the song is accompanied by lyrics that are ripped straight out of a bad teenage poet’s notebook: “All seems clear if I could capture this/with the sun exactly where it is.”

Okay, so it gets better.

“I Had a Dirty Dream About You” could be the band’s first single if they emerge from the New York art-metal scene ghetto. Forgoing the complicated yet poorly executed “math rock” time signatures for straight up Pandora’s-esque garage rock, this song combines a simple chord progression, dynamic drum rhythms and mischievously sexy lyrics to create a… well… highly danceable rock song. And yes, I did find myself dancing.

The rest of the album, continuing to remain in the vein of dark prog-pop metal, is neither as unfortunate as “Capture” nor as delightful as “I Had a Dream About You.” I was impressed at their ability to make dark yet danceable metal songs without veering into Lacuna Coil territory. There are some weak spots on the album, but they manage to cover them up quite well with an excellent ear for harmony.

The Color Guard is not likely to break any major boundaries in music, either generally or in the prog-metal genre. However, the DVD accompanying Cornucopia--a live performance at CBGB’s gallery--showcases an exceptional live band that combines a love of theatrical performance with solid musical ability. Perhaps through their live performances, and not their records, is where they will transcend musical expectations.

Written by: Theresa Anasti, June 16th 2007