You Will Never Be One Of Us by Nails

Grindcore/power-violence act Nails have established themselves as one of the premier groups in the genre with their first two releases, both of which have garnered a rather impressive amount of acclaim. They have a sound that is hard to explain to those who have yet to hear them, as their frantic, chaotic, straight to the point tracks normally fail to even exceed the one minute mark. Their punchy guitars, roaring drum beats, and nasty, guttural vocals all come in with such ferocity that they're over before you even have time to click play.

On You Will Never Be One Of Us, Nails do branch out in some ways, with Violence Is Forever coming in at a modest three and a half minutes, and the closer They Come Crawling Back taking up eight minutes of the 22 that the album runs for. Even on the longer cuts however, the band deliver the same kind of music you would find on their previous two efforts, and with Converge's Kurt Ballou behind the scenes producing yet again, you're all but guaranteed to find some of the ugliest sounding guitar riffs around. Frontman Todd Jones, who provides both the guitar work and the vocals for the band, doesn't shy away from experimenting with the same hardcore/metalcore territory that many of the bands Ballou has worked with in the past have, especially on tracks like the aforementioned They Come Crawling Back, which features some mathcore influenced, headbang worthy breakdowns and slow-paced drum beats that in turn build up into multiple chaotic interludes before the track comes chugging to a halt.

While the rest of the album isn't as patience testing as the 8 minute epic, it still delivers in plenty of other ways. The title track, which was released as the album's first single is another highlight, as the band kick off the album with monstrous blast beats that are delivered with such attitude and flair that you can't help but feel the music. They take a groovier approach on Made To Make You Fall, with an intro that in some ways is reminiscent of groove-metal pioneers Pantera, that is before the track descends into hell once again and the groovy instrumentation is swept away in favour of more bone-rattling guitar riffing and drumming.

When it comes to what sets this album apart and it makes such a great inclusion in their discography, I think it's simply just how well they manage the pacing of their songs. Not only does the band manage to make the most of even the shortest tracks, but they also seem to include everything imaginable within these tight timeframes. There are plenty of short, Converge-esque breakdowns and guitar passages, and just as many moments where the band create such an enveloping wall of sound that you truly become beat down by the brutality they are presenting you with.

In the time you've spent reading this review, you probably could have listened to this album in it's entirety, so that's where I'll leave this. Nails have yet to disappoint thus far into their career, and if you found yourself enjoying either of their last two full-lengths, this truly is a must hear. They aren't changing up their style, and they aren't looking to make any new fans, they're just taking the same style they've perfected with their last two efforts, and this time they're cranking it up even louder.

Rating: 4/5

Check out the title track You Will Never Be One Of Us below:

You can pre-order the album over on the band's merch site here.

Adore Life by Savages

Back in 2011, London based post-punk revival band Savages released their debut album Silence Yourself. The album was met with universally critical acclaim for it's punk aesthetic that remained very true to the genre, and front-woman Jehnny Beth's charismatic yet hectic approach to performing. The sheer heaviness of the music they were creating, using some fantastic bass grooves and frenzied drum playing made it seem they were destined for post-punk stardom, but how would the 4-piece all female group follow up their debut?

The lead single from the album, The Answer, is hands down one of my favorite tracks early on in the year. It's one of the loudest, heaviest, hardest hitting punk songs I've heard in quite some time, and as per usual, Jehnny Beth did a fantastic job writing the track. Unfortunately, as much as I did enjoy the lead single, the rest of the album just doesn't live up to it. Immediately after The Answer, the pace of the album is slowed down because of Evil, which while not a slow-paced song, is no where the chaotic anthem that the track before it is. Ultimately, I found it to be a fairly forgettable track in the listing. The album does return to form for tracks like Sad Person and Slowing Down the World, the first one because it feels like the high tempo anthem I want from the band, and the second one because the chorus alone does a great job of elevating an otherwise decent track. But, just when all is looking up, the album slumps right back into disappointment with I Need Something New, a track that opens up with Beth spewing raw vocals a capella, but once accompanied by the rest of the band's instrumentation, really doesn't make for anything too special.

A running trend throughout the album is lackluster verses and disappointing insturmentation that builds to fantastic choruses. Songs like When In Love and Surrender are two examples of great hooks that just get bogged down by otherwise uninteresting elements. Frankly, there's not much to say about Adore Life. When Savages are on there game, they deliver some fantastic moments, but they spend the majority of this album looking to replicate everything that worked so well on their first album, and they struggle to do so.

Favorite Tracks: The Answer, Sad Person, T.I.W.Y.G

Least Favorite Tracks: I Need Something New, Mechanics

Rating: 3/5

Harmlessness by The World Is A Beautiful Place And I'm No Longer Afraid To Die

If I had a dollar for every shitty emo album that I've listened to since the genre's revival around 2010, I'd be a very rich man. It's become a genre that is either hit or miss, as you can come across something great at any time, something on par with emo greats like Brand New, Dashboard Confessional, and Sunny Day Real Estate, but you can just as easily come across another knock off attempt of mainstream pop-punk emo acts like Fall out Boy and the All-American Rejects. On their debut, TWIABP made it clear that their eight-piece ensemble wanted to be grouped together with the greats, as they took on a different approach to the genre. They continue to follow through on that with their sophomore release.

On Whenever, If Ever, the band broke-through with what were some greatly crafted emo tracks, that constantly saw changing vocals, it seemed like every track had a different member of the band lending their voice, and while it did make for a bit of a mess, that was just part of it's magic. On their newest album Harmlessness, the band gets away from that, and we hear David Bello and Katie Shanholtzer take responsibility for the majority of the vocals. The dynamic of their voices is excellent on track to track basis and is one of my favorite things featured on the album. It flows beautifully over the instrumentation, which is another thing worth mentioning.

Emo has a always had a very similar feel to alt-rock, sometimes even post-punk, at least when it comes to the music that's being played, as it's really the lyrics that separate emo from the other two. What caught my ear during my first few play throughs of this album, was the band's ability to use both heartbreakingly sad instrumentals, and follow them up with songs that sound, almost, well, uplifting to be honest. The intro track, and one every my favorite cuts, You Can't Live There Forever, features a beautiful sparse acoustic guitar opening, before becoming a fantastic composition of violins, drums, chimes, and any other instrument the band can use to help this feeling of happiness that kicks off the album. It's not necessarily new for an emo band to mix in a few less depressing songs in their track listing, but the way that TWIABP do it, it makes me really wonder if they would simply be better off pursing more of an indie rock route than continuing with the emo genre.

Now don't get me wrong here, because the band does emo tracks exceptionally well on this album too, take a look at January 10th, 2014 for any needed proof, the track tells the true story of Diana, the hunter of bus drivers, a female vigilante who murdered two bus drivers as revenge for two decades worth of rape, assault, and homicide in Juarez, Mexico. While at it's base, it's a wonderfully crafted emo song, the subject matter makes it so much more than that, and proves the band is capable of a lot more than the confines of the emo genre. We get more uplifting, poppy, groovy tracks like The Word Lisa, Rage Against the Dying Light, and Willie (for Howard) as the track listing moves on, the end of the album sees a much more sad tone, and also features the album's two longest tracks with I Can Be Afraid of Anything clocking in at over 7 minutes, and Mount Hum finishing a minute longer.

The best comparison I have for this album is Modern Baseball's You're Gonna Miss It All, just because in the same way that it blew me away with the potential they displayed with their fusion of folk, punk and emo on the album, TWIABP blow me away with the potential of their own sound on Harmlessness. By no means is it completely innovative, but how often do you find an emo release that truly is? In a time where the genre is littered with albums not worth mentioning, the band comes through with a wonderful release, something that any fan of the genre, or indie rock for that matter, should take the time to listen to.

Rating: B+

Favorite Tracks: You Can't Live There Forever, January 10th 2014, The Word Lisa, I Can Be Afraid of Anything

Least Favorite Tracks: Mount Hum

Too by FIDLAR

FIDLAR are a Los Angeles, California based skate/garage punk band who formed back in 2009. Since their inception, they've released only one full-length album back in 2013, which was of course their eponymous debut. On this album, the band blew away both critics and music fans alike, as they were able to blend together genres like skate punk, garage rock, surf rock, and more, with their own lo-fi sound. While the album was able to bring together comedy with some rocking musicianship from the band members, it's their latest album Too that has me really excited to see what the four-piece is capable of.

The album's lead single, 40oz. On Repeat would lead the listener to believe that the band is delivering an album much like their first, only slightly more produced and cleaned up. That however, is far from the truth. While the lead single does carry that same garage punk ethic that helped the band's first album become so popular, they quickly shift styles when the second track Punks rolls around. This track is a hard hitting, at times psychedelic cut, that features vocalist Zac Carper screaming at the listener.

If I was to simply list off the best tracks and talk about what makes them so enjoyable, I'd be here all day. To understand the versatility of FIDLAR, you really need to give the album a listen. There's a handful of classic punk cuts like 40oz, Sober, Drone, and more, but you also get some songs that can't easily be described by a genre classification. Tracks like Punks, Why Generation, and Overdose are perfect examples of that. Overdose stands out as one of the best tracks in the listing for me personally, as the song kicks off sounding almost folk-ish, with a very Tom Waits inspired guitar riff that transcends into pure chaos within the last thirty seconds as we get shrieked vocals, distorted guitars, and a heavy drum beat to lead the track out. The album's strength, in my opinion, lies in the band's diversity, as they really make an effort to keep any two songs from sounding too similar. 

Labeling an album as "skate-punk" can often times be a big turn off for music fans, who will then expect a project the likes of something done by Avril Lavigne or Simple Plan, but this album is so much more than that. While much more produced and less lo-fi than their debut, Too is a step in the right direction for the very talented young band, as they've shed the label of being a local punk band, and instead are throwing their name into the hat of best up and coming bands in the music world right now. If you need any more proof that punk isn't dead, take a look at FIDLAR's latest release, because you're bound to be surprised.

Rating: A-

Favorite Tracks: 40oz. On Repeat, Punks, West Coast, Why Generation, Sober, Overdose, Stupid Decisions

Least Favorite Tracks: None