Videodome - Nocturnal Omissions

For the world, 2017 was a pretty shit year. But for music in CT, 2017 has brought a heap of amazing releases from extremely talented acts, and among the top of that stack is Nocturnal Omissions by Videodome. They’ve put together a record of hectic sound and heavy emotion, a combination that is insanely addictive. 

Though comprised of former members of Heavy Breath and Warm, Videodome wields a sound that is entirely their own. Grit is a mainstay across the EP’s five tracks: “Don’t Get Stoned in Glass Houses” rips open with fuzzbomb syncopation, while the overdriven bass and guitars in the title track carry heavy riffs like burdens. The drums thump like a frantic heart throughout, each beat pounding with adrenaline. The vocals waver between beauty and brutality, raging against the belligerent backdrop of instrumentation with anxious yelps and crushing honesty.

Videodome’s compositions are just as emotive and evocative as their performances: “Pleather Daddy” saunters like a serial killer stalking a victim home, while the outro to “Nocturnal Omissions” glides on dolorously sweet singing and a wandering bassline. The vocals steer the emotion of the tunes, dragging “Don’t Get Stoned in Glass Houses” from indifference into a violent exclamation of “Fuck a beautiful sunrise, I hope we never sleep.” The lyrics ooze a strange and sexual fury; every line is fraught with simultaneous desire, regret, apathy—all limned with a vicious feedback loop of anger, rolling from lyrics into vocals and back, again and again.

There’s so much to hear in this record, to feel, that each listen is near overwhelming for the senses. But as visceral as the experience is, so is it intellectual. Not a single part is repeated once too long—every lyric, riff, and wordless vocal outburst brandishes its intensity and impact without exaggeration. Nocturnal Omissions is distilled and ferocious lust, but presented with a precision and grace that is largely unmatched by other acts.

Whether you’re looking for snarling noise, delicate sadness, or outright wrath, Nocturnal Omissions truly delivers. I want to learn to play these riffs myself so I can take them with me, so effusive is the energy that they exude. Videodome’s cocktail of crushing sound and oscillating intensity is something as-of-yet unequaled in CT’s scene; if their future means honing that into an even deadlier weapon, then you had best believe my eyes and ears will be on them, and I bet yours will be too.

My Top Track: “Wet with Regret”

You can find more from Videodome, including upcoming live shows and news, on Facebook. Then grab your own copy of Nocturnal Omissions at their Bandcamp page.

Shameless Self Promotion: Introducing The Judas Obscure

It’s been a bit since I’ve used this platform to applaud my own efforts, but I’ve been working on something for a little while now of which I am very proud. So please forgive me as I speak a little bit on my new music project, The Judas Obscure.

Shorthand, The Judas Obscure is my bass and me, the moniker I’ve chosen for the music I will be making on my own. It doesn’t mean anything except me, and the music will be the same. With The Judas Obscure, I hope to explore the extent of my own abilities as an artist, a performer, a writer. I hope to put out music that rings as honest and true to others as it does to me.

It’s gonna be weird. It’s gonna be loud. But most importantly, it will be fun. 

I’ve been writing songs in this format for quite a while, but finally I’ve got the courage (or the gall) to put them out in front of an audience. So in the coming months, don’t be surprised to see me behind the mic at your favorite bar or cafe, strumming chords on my bass and screaming at the top of my lungs.

In the meantime, please feel free to wander over to my Bandcamp page, where you will find a fun acoustic single as well as my screamy debut demo Banshee. You can also follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thejudasobscure/ or on Twitter and Instagram by following @thejudasobscure. 

Thanks for reading, and for being part of this. I hope to see you out there.

Cheers,
Woody 

Zugzwang - Flu

One of the best parts about my local scene is that it can be so diverse in sound. I've been to shows featuring blues rock back-to-back with psychedelia and hardcore bands. Singer-songwriters regularly share the same bill as prog-metal and punk artists. What's more, so many of these acts are creating their own genres, taking aspects of their varied surroundings and shaping a sound we've never heard before. And excuse my language, but that's fuckin' exciting. 

Which brings me to this act. Zugzwang are a three-piece CT band that blends catchy with aggression—punk instrumentation overlaid with addictive melodies. They’ve got a perfect blend of intellect and attitude that really sounds like no one else. I’ve been hooked since their demo dropped in 2015, and their latest EP Flu hits like a haymaker. 

Zugzwang’s sound is persistent and pounding, like an ex with a bone to pick. The vocals are frustrated, each note on the brink of a breakdown. The instruments cohere to one another, each punch of the kick followed by the ringing of the bass guitar, the rhythm section backing a guitar laden with color tones and sickly-sweet melodies. Yet the band refuses to fall into a rut even across these four songs: “Stuck” steadily bangs its head against a wall while “4th of July” flaunts slash beats and speedy palm mutes. Each song has its own feel and flavor, mixing catchy hooks and grinding riffs that are too damn accessible to exclude even the most pompous of music fans.

For all its primal punk energy, Flu is also extremely danceable, no track more so than the lead single “Getting Through.” The band launches full-force into a riff that is both groove and grit, led by a viciously delicious bassline that runs the entire neck of the instrument, while the drums get hit so hard that I'm surprised we can't hear the heads breaking. The vocal is searing, yearning for more, begging to get beyond an existence that is at best unsatisfactory and at worst unbearable. More than any track on Flu, “Getting Through” repeatedly gets caught between my ears to linger all day long (and believe me, I’m not complaining). 

 

Whether you are nauseated by the sterile state of radio or just looking to dig some infectious grooves, Flu holds your antidote, a record that refuses to sit comfortably in any one sound or genre. Zugzwang’s music is proof that CT has a ton to offer, that there is sincere and exciting creative force bottled up in this state, just waiting to be released. So don’t sleep on this record, on this band, on this scene—for their sake, and for yours. 

My top track: “Stuck” 

You can find more from Zugzwang, including upcoming live shows and news, on Facebook. Then grab your own copy of Flu at their Bandcamp page.

Down with Rent - Like a Pane of Breaking Glass

I am very fortunate to be a witness to a talented, diverse, and progressive local music scene, and I think it’s about time I used this platform, small though it may be, to shout out some of those local acts whose incredible live performances and immersive recordings are making this the best time and place for music. So, let’s kick things off with Like a Pane of Breaking Glass, the latest and greatest release by local Connecticut rippers Down with Rent.

Clocking in at barely eight minutes, Like a Pane of Breaking Glass delivers a mainline dose of vicious hardcore punk straight to the brain. Down with Rent takes the well-worn template of grinding guitars and slash beats and smashes it into something wholly unique and unrelenting—the song “Down with Rent” sounds like a race between the band members, the guitar gaining on the bass in the verse only to be overtaken by the drums in the chorus. “Sins and Needles” all but demands slam-dancing with its blistering guitar riffs, while the title track swings the spotlight onto the rhythm section, drums and bass crashing against each other in a tsunami of sound.

Like a Pane of Breaking Glass exhibits Down with Rent’s visceral tendencies towards fast tempos and loud screams, but the opening track “Anchors” delves even farther into that energy. Kicking off with a bombastic, overdriven bassline, the band quickly falls into a pounding riff that sounds like Godzilla stomping through Tokyo. The primeval, desperate vocals bring a volatility to the atmosphere, punctuating the verse with a throaty scream of “Do you know how Atlas felt?” Down with Rent wields this trudging tempo for as long as they can bear, but as the song nears its end, they become fed up with it, cutting the time in half and careening towards a catastrophic end capped by the defiant statement: “You say that you hold up the world / But you’re just the anchor.”

Without a doubt, Like a Pane of Breaking Glass is a power-packed EP that exudes energy and fervor; my only complaint is simply that there’s not more of it. Down with Rent collects the rage of their generation and turns it outwards at the world, seeking to shake the planet itself from Atlas’ grasp. If you have the chance to catch one of their furious and feedback-laden live shows, do not miss out—just prepare to lose your voice as you shout along.

My top track: “Anchors”

You can find more from Down with Rent, including upcoming live shows and news, on Facebook. Then grab your own copy of Like a Pane of Breaking Glass at their Bandcamp page, out via Destroy All Music. 

At the Drive-in - in•ter a•li•a

At long last, seventeen years after their last true release, At the Drive-In has graced us with a new record, in•ter a•li•a. And while the rest of the world waited with bated breath for May 5 to roll around, my excitement was far more tempered. After a wave of confusion concerning founding member Jim Ward’s participation, followed by the cancellation of their North American tour (on the night I was to see them, no less), in•ter a•li•a felt like a very hard sell for me. Yet the ATDI fanboy within soon won out, and after snagging a copy, this record has not only far exceeded my expectations, but has proven At the Drive-In remains an act with integrity and momentum.

According to Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the writing for in•ter a•li•a was an attempt to honor where the band “left off sonically last time,” and in this At the Drive-In completely succeeds. These five come at their music with as much energy and virulence as ever. Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s vocals are far more refined than on past releases, but he continues to throw his entire weight behind each note. Tony Hajjar’s drum hits explode like cannon fire, while Paul Hinojos’ bass notes completely dominate the low-end—everything in my car shakes with his bass hits in “Tilting at the Univendor.” Both Omar and Keeley Davis tangle their guitars into an exciting rat’s nest of melody, their effect-laden tones simultaneously fighting and coalescing in tunes like “Incurably Innocent.” The musical chemistry of this quintet is undeniable, making each piece on in•ter a•li•a an exhilarating maelstrom of sound.

So palpable is At the Drive-In’s enthusiasm on in•ter a•li•a that spinning the CD feels like standing against the barrier at a show. The energy is live and dangerous, most likely a result of the way the record was formed. The band began by renting a “bare bones” studio space in South Korea, where they learned to “write with each other.” Following this, their subsequent tour saw the band viciously writing over 70% of the record in a live setting; they even created a “jam room” at each venue so they could pen and rehearse new music before and after their shows. They then dragged this visceral material into the studio, recording under a “no overdubs rule,” as Omar puts it, so “what you want to play has to be what it is.” Every step of this album’s creation was done with a live mindset and in a live setting, letting the honesty behind their endeavor shine bright and unhindered.

The band approached in•ter a•li•a with the intent of rekindling the old ATDI fire (Omar even immersed himself in the same pop culture to conjure that spirit), so it is no surprise that this record feels like the logical follow-up to their monster Relationship of Command. Still, there is an undeniable maturity that provides a completely new feel to the music, as exemplified in the song “Continuum.” Cedric kicks this tune off with a bombastic shout of “I’ll drop a dime on you first,” his vocal melodies switching between barking poetics in the verse and violent singing in the chorus. Keeley and Omar let their guitars play against one another, their tones creating a landscape of sound as they trade rhythm and lead duties. The song swings wildly between dynamics, focusing on insane syncopation across crazy time signatures in the prechorus and dropping to a literal whisper in the bridge. “Continuum” demonstrates At the Drive-In cramming old energy into new ideas to create a bulldozer of excitement and intelligence that blasts from the speakers.

As with the instrumentation, the lyrical content of in•ter a•li•a also exhibits more than a bit of maturation. Though his veils of metaphor are pretty opaque, if not sometimes indecipherable, Cedric’s writing maintains a dystopian theme throughout many of the pieces. “Pendulum in a Peasant Dress” paints a world where media is defined by “finely tuned gestures” dictated by the powers-that-be, the “hand of God” that controls what the world sees and doesn’t see. The lead single “Governed by Contagions” is laden with paranoid images such as the “portrait of a family force fed” and a “homemade remedy to loosen every tongue.” The band even calls attention to the issues of gentrification and destruction of culture in the song “Call Broken Arrow.” Cedric’s attentive writing keeps in•ter a•li•a attuned to the current state of the world and gives At the Drive-In’s manic melodies a message worth conveying.

in•ter a•li•a certainly sounds and feels like a vision fully realized, but as a die-hard fan of their past catalogue, I can’t help but mourn the lack of Jim Ward’s presence on the record. His previous vocal and written contributions were near-pivotal to the experience that was ATDI, and though the band has firmly stated that he “just wasn’t ready” to take part, it is difficult to ignore the many spots in in•ter a•li•a where one of his yells would perfectly fit. And as the band apparently had tried writing new material during their 2014 reunion, material which Cedric and Omar then adapted into the debut release for Antemasque, it is equally as hard not to hear songs like “No Wolf Like the Present” as Antemasque material adapted for ATDI.

While I certainly miss the At the Drive-In with Jim Ward, I would be lying if I said in•ter a•li•a needs his presence to be a great record. Keeley Davis, Jim’s former bandmate in Sparta, undoubtedly provides an awesome and fresh approach to the band, and is also allegedly responsible for my favorite piece on the record: the spacey and dark “Ghost Tape No. 9.” Rocking over filtered drums and a rhythmic chugging chord, this song is dominated by Cedric’s gorgeous, mournful melodies. The entire song takes a step down in energy, letting the dystopian imagery and electronic soundscape fill the void created by the slow tempo and quiet dynamics. The haunting crawl of “Ghost Tape No. 9” is perhaps the most progressive and novel tune on all of in•ter a•li•a, and showcases a direction that I hope At the Drive-In will continue to explore in their composition.

Although I initially felt little more than trepidation at its release, I’m sincerely glad I gave in•ter a•li•a some time. At the Drive-In have lost not an iota of the honesty or energy that initially hooked me, and yet add a maturity to their sound that assures me they are headed for great things. As Cedric puts it, he and his bandmates “trust each other” to bring their best and make “great music,” and there is not a single doubt in my mind that in•ter a•li•a achieves this goal. At the Drive-In remains as honest and exciting as ever, and I will have a hell of hard time containing my excitement at their future endeavors.

Tunes to Check Out:

1) Ghost Tape No. 9

2) Call Broken Arrow

3) Incurably Innocent