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Rick's Mailbox Volume XII: Go Buzz About It

Posted 02/16/2010 07:34AM by Rick Gebhardt as Rick's Discoveries

02/16/2010 07:34AM

Being an editor here at Decoy, I get a fair amount of mail from bands, labels, PR companies, and other random sources. Most of the mail comes in the form of packages containing CDs for bands that want reviews, coverage, or just a mention somewhere in some publication to get their name out. It would be impossible for us to review every album submitted to us, and I think many bands know that, but I sometimes feel guilty letting things slip through the cracks, especially since people no doubt went out of their way to send something my way for consideration by Decoy. In the spirit of trying to get the word out there for artists who might otherwise not get much coverage elsewhere, let’s dig into my mailbox and see what interesting submissions have come through lately.

Damn the Empire – With Trends Like These…

This album has 16 tracks on it, with not a single one clocking in longer than 1:45. I know, I initially thought grindcore as well, but that’s not the case. Instead this is classic melodic punk that hearkens back to the early 90’s scene. There are poppy choruses, gang chants, quick tempos, anti-government themes, and enthusiasm to spare. Yet again, we have another Australian band that is picking up where the mid-90’s punk scene left off. Down under sure is a hotbed for a punk and hardcore DIY resurgence. (artist website)

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Keira Is You – Nothing Else Will Happen

Before listening to Nothing Else Will Happen, I forgot how much I missed bands like Engine Down and Sunny Day Real Estate. Keira Is You are very heavily influenced by the aforementioned bands as can be evidenced by their classic emo approach. What’s unique on this album, though, are the small atmospheric flourishes that are provided by the synths that are laid down, as well as some shoegaze influences here and there, especially on the longer tracks such as the 8 and a half minute epic “Lustful Thoughts”. This album is definitely worth tracking down and listening to. (artist website)

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The New Enemy – Shakedown

Dirty and raw old school hardcore, with an occasional melodic flourish, is what The New Enemy gives you. This EP feels like it is straight out of 1987, from the production to the very basic song structures to the attitude. This could be good or bad, depending upon how nostalgic you are for the good ol’ days. I found that Shakedown most reminded me of a more classic hardcore punk version of Rancid, most likely because of the similar vocal approaches, but also a couple of tracks sounded like a rougher version of the band. Then again, a couple of other songs have more of a rock swagger to them than a punk vibe, so you get a little of both worlds. (artist website)

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Minor Kingdom – My Back Will Bend

Minneapolis based folk singer Kristian Melom, who uses the moniker of Minor Kingdom for his debut album (which has him collaborating with numerous other musicians), has created a very beautiful and serene album firmly planted in the folksy singer/songwriter music space. Infusing the naturally stripped down singer/songwriter approach with a nice chunk of angst, My Back Will Bend is a very solid album showcasing an artist that has the ability to go places if he really wants to. (artist website)

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Kandi Coded – Fell For the Gift

I feel like this last batch of submissions has a lot of bands channeling sounds of old. In Kandi Coded’s case, they’re doing their best to grunge it up like it was 1993 all over again. You can hear the very strong Mudhoney and early Nirvana influences on this album and, at times, feel like you should go unpack your flannel shirts and toss one on while contemplating how average your life is. Occasionally the album slows down a bit too much, dragging some songs through the mud, but for the most part, it’s standard grunge tempos and song structures. (artist website)

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In-Sane – Trust These Hands… Are Worthless

This Slovenian punk three-piece play a rather simplistic, traditional pop-punk similar to early MxPx mixed with a little bit of A Wilhelm Scream. Not too shabby of a pedigree to be compared to, eh? What’s holding In-Sane back from being as good as either of those two bands is two-fold. First, they need to mature their songwriting. They’re competent writers, but there are no songs on this album that really jump out at you or stick with you. Second, they need to change their production and recording style. Unfortunately, adding a post-production gleam to pop-punk records has become essential in today’s musical climate. The DIY approach just doesn’t work well for pop-punk anymore. If they overcome those two obstacles, In-Sane probably have a ticket out of Slovenia into greener musical pastures. (artist website)

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Analena – Inconstantinopolis

Analena owe a lot to Thursday and At the Drive-In as much of their sound is very much influenced by these two bands. However, the screeching vocals of Ana, mixed with her melodic crooning, interplaying with the accentuating male vocals and shifting post-hardcore dynamics, leads Inconstantinopolis to be quite the interesting release. You will not be disappointed by Analena in the least if you are a post-hardcore or screamo fan. They bring to the table what has been missing in the “screamo” genre for a while now. (artist website)

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Joshua Ketchmark – List of Regrets

You miss the arena rock stylings of Matchbox 20 or The Calling? If so, then Joshua Ketchmark will fill that void. Playing a style of music that is by now familiar to anyone who has listened to rock radio in the last 10 years, Ketchmark’s “soundtrack to his life” is treading very familiar territory, but it’s comfortable territory that many people would be fine to traverse. You’re not going to hear anything new or interesting on List of Regrets, but you also don’t have to stretch any boundaries to listen either. (artist website)

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Traktor – Lights / Sequence the Sequence

This double album is a re-releasing of Traktor’s Lights from 2006 and Sequence the Sequence from 2008. Sequence the Sequence, from what I can find, appears to have been a vinyl only release which is now getting a CD pressing. For the most part, the band sound similar to the likes of Refused, Sparta, or JR Ewing, but there is an interesting difference between the two albums. Sequence the Sequence has a very calculated and technical feel to it, at times lacking a strong emotional component. Lights, however, is a bit less technical and interesting, but possesses a rawer feeling. It feels like two distinct sides to the band—the raw and aggressive, and the technically minded. Both are great, don’t get me wrong, but imagining what the band could do synthesizing these styles… it could be mind-blowing. (artist website)