This is an mp3 blog attempting to document the gross amount of music I listen to. About once a day, I'll post something I like. If you're a copyright holder on anything I host, get in touch, and we'll settle things in a steel cage instead of a courtroom.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Please tell me this means a Rumbleseat reunion too

Aaron has been telling me to update more. True fun fact about Aaron - he never brushes his teeth, so when he exhales, you catch the distinct aroma of King Cobra and semen. Whether it's his own or not is a mystery I'd rather not solve.

So what should I post to honor my obnoxious Hispanic counterpart? How about a band that was recently responsible for news that had Aaron and I shitting our pants out of delight? No kids, it wasn't the Blood Brothers breaking up (thank fucking GOD). Hot Water Music is back together! They've only been split a year, but with the band splintered into Chuck Ragan's solo career and the remaining members carrying on as the Draft, we bearded motherfuckers didn't have much in the way of hope.

Granted, while it was fun playing the new game Homeless or Hot Water Music (in which you look at a picture of an inebriated bearded person and determine if they are vagabonds or Chris Wollard), but like all the other heads over at the 'Org, we were all hoping that this was just another yearlong break up like last time. Lo and behold, shows have been scheduled and they've announced they will be recording new material for the long-delayed Till the Wheels Fall Off. (Saying Wheels is "delayed" is like saying Chinese Democracy and C I V I L W A R are running a spot late for tea and crumpets.)

So why are we all ga-ga gay for a bunch of smelly dudes with tribal tattoos? Depends on what you like about them. Me, I go for the dueling aspect of the guitars and vocals. Like Sleater-Kinney or Black Star, the guys in HWM are constantly trading off vocals and their interweaving guitars battle for supremacy in the mix. It's tension and release worthy of the Angus brothers.

Tread wary, children, for you will not find the overt hooks here that you would find on a Lawrence Arms record. Rather, they bowl you over with sheer intensity. Two muscular guitars chug and wail like the six stringers that could while a basslines snakes in the crevices and constantly shifting snare hits falls a beat behind the gruff vocals spouting oblique tales of life. It's a killer concoction, and one that's responsible for a lot of the best punk being produced in the United States right now. Taking lessons learned from Leatherface, they have forged a deliberate, angular trail that cuts through the heart of anyone who's sick of slogans and would be-pop stars in studded belts. As great as it is, "Take it as it Comes" will never be a top forty, and it's almost as incapable of being co-opted as Big Stick or Scratch Acid. Like family, they will always belong to the people that love them most.

Owning Finding the Rhythms, No Division, and Caution is crucial for any serious listener of punk rock. Trust me, Aaron and I know all about being kicked out of punk (we do it to each other enough), and not being down with HWM is an express train to Squaresville. You don't want to be a Herbert, do you? And yes, I'm quoting Star Trek to say essentially "all the cool kids are doing it." I'm sure you'll manage to cope.

Bound: http://www.mediafire.com/?63ngv9hyycb

Our Own Way: http://www.mediafire.com/?azwvy7cymcm

Elektra: http://www.mediafire.com/?bbmmdnbvf1j

Take it as it Comes: http://www.mediafire.com/?7j1vit0z0l3

Sons and Daughters: http://www.mediafire.com/?49bbuyxhmbw

Remedy: http://www.mediafire.com/?53voxvyeb3m

1 Comments:

Blogger spike. said...

Clicked over from punknewsdotorg .... good post about HWM. While the allure of sweaty dudes with beards is certainly High, I also have to confess a certain predetermined weakness for Gainesville bands. I lived there for almost six years while I was in college (and beyond), and seeing certain people I may have seen/known being successful doing something they love makes me feel good. Top that off with seeing how powerfully it affects other people around the world, and I feel a certain sense of pride for being a part of my then-second home.

Oh yeah, I love HWM for the song "Remedy", too. I mean that song just fucking ROCKS. Believe it.

I'll be at their show in Orlando next January. Can't wait.

5:13 PM

 

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