A Vans Old Skool on the Pedalboard of Time Part 3
Hey everyone,
Life’s not been great. I’ve been doing a lot of stinking thinking, but like Farside sang, “I chose to be alone so now I can’t complain”. If I was into tattoos, I’d get that scrawled on my face.
Adventures Adventures
Side project of Reba Meyers and Joe Goldman from Code Orange playing catchy slightly noisy yet pop oriented alternative rock not unlike the Lemonheads crossed with the Breeders. Good stuff for a one and done album. (Run for Cover Records, 2015)
Fiddlehead Out of the Bloom
Boston’s Fiddlehead features Pat Flynn who was most notable in Have Heart, but I really enjoyed his band prior to this called Sweet Jesus who were more on the Swiz tip. I was hoping Fiddlehead was an extension of Sweet Jesus which also shares members with this band. But that’s not what happened. I hear a bit of Revolution Summer era sound that was going on in the nation’s capital in the mid to late 80’s. But that sound is not as prevalent as people on the internet want it to be. I hear a post-hardcore band but it’s one without any hooks. Now granted, this is the band’s first ep but with their pedigree as well as what I’ve heard before I was expecting a lot more. (Lockin’ Out, 2014)
Tigers Jaw Charmer
From Scranton, PA (it was really popping off in PA in the 2010s). On Charmer we get an album full of keyboard inflected, emo driven indie rock. The keyboardist, Brianna Collins only sings one song, and I wish she was the main vocalist on more tracks. Ben Walsh does the mopey emo guy thing that slides into Morrissey yelps. Most of the lyrics seem to deal with post-adolescent heartbreak. Is this what Millennials listen to on cozy Sunday or the wounds still there and they “literally can’t rn”. (Run for Cover Records, 2014)
Gypsy Giant’s Despair
Imagine if you will a band that has Blake Schwarzenbach post throat surgery singing for a band that knows their way around Seaweed riffs. Hooky post-hardcore. I dig this stuff and have since I was a teenager full of life. Gypsy (whose name is terrible) was made up of members of Mother of Mercy, Stick Together and Cold World. If I know hardcore geography, that will make this band also from Pennsylvania. (Six Feet Under Records, 2012)
Until next time,
