Grass Is Green - Yeddo
Rating
RIYL
FaraquetFugazi
Unwound
Release Date
09/10/2010
Tracklist
1. No Legs2. Feeling Different
3. Ste 007
4. Tricky Tim’s “Night on the Town”
5. Gallery Place
6. Gung Ho!
7. Uhm Tsk
8. Greenville
9. I’ll Have Mine
10. Blueville
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There are special moments in a music obsessed fan’s life when they hear a new band that immediately resonates as a future favorite upon impact. For me, ladies and gentlemen, that moment came the first time I heard Boston, MA’s Grass Is Green. Comprised of four seriously talented and fairly twisted young musicians, their debut album Yeddo is just what the world of post-punk needs. Fresh, wildly imaginative, infinitely intelligent, and cheerfully crushing, there doesn’t appear to be much that Grass Is Green can’t do. With three fourths of the band hailing from Rockville, MD, a not-too-distant suburb of Washington, DC, you can hear the influence of the local Dischord scene in their music, a sound they proudly fight to keep strong and prevalent. The band prove winding technicality, youthful aggression, and stoney quirkiness can go hand in hand with incredible results, listen after listen after atonal listen. The era when Fugazi, Unwound, and Polvo ruled the underground may have passed, but that is of no concern to Grass Is Green as they create their own breed of intricate time shifting ruckus for the next generation… and personally, I couldn’t be more appreciative. Produced by SuperVolcano’s Mike Thomas, Yeddo was mastered by one of DC’s finest, the highly influential Devin Ocampo of Faraquet and Medications fame. They may not be recreating the wheel, but Grass Is Green are creating a throwback to the wheel’s dearly missed golden age in a new light. While there are handfuls of great post-punk bands currently making music, few do it with the rough and ragged energy, raw stlye, and deafening grace that Grass Is Green do.
From the tripped out Twilight Zone-esque riff that sets the album out the gates to the quick and nimble drumming and ominous lurking bass line, “No Legs” wastes no time in proving just what these four are capable of. After the extended introduction, singer/guitarist Andy Chervenak and guitarist Devin McKnight begin their mind bending weaving as they both deliver dazzling spastic melodies that briefly intersect but rarely overlap. Chervenak’s vocals are warm but abrasive, with a tone fit perfectly for their music. The song takes you on a wild ride from point A to B, and when it’s over, you may not be exactly sure how you got there, but you’ll know you enjoyed the trip. Jesse Weiss, the band’s otherworldly drummer shifts through time signatures and poly-rhythms with jazzy precision, kicking “Feeling Different” off blast for blast rhythmically in unison with the guitars. Their sound roars and contorts in ways seemingly unimaginable, as they manage to stay loose while moving so tightly in succession. “Ste 007” begins with a serene and gentle back and forth between the guitars and the calm but dazzling cymbal work from Weiss, before bassist Dario Olachea locks into the steady bouncing groove of the verses. The vocal melody rides the beat with an infectious quality before the song nosedives into hyperspace with whirling effects, massively explosive drums, and hypnotic atonal guitars. The intensity builds to a fever pitch as the song transitions into “Tricky Tim’s Night On The Town,” another catchy exercise in pushing the complexities of accessibility as far as they will bend. Jarring guitars swirl around the mesmerizing rhythm section, speeding and slowing at any given moment with the entire band spiraling in complete chaotic control.
“Gallery Place” begins with a fuzzy grunge reminiscent riff, quickly joined by the insistent shapeshifting rhythms that never cease to amaze, while always remaining tasteful within the song and structure. As the hook unfurls, the intensity boils over erupting in noisy guitar freak-outs and the tongue in cheek aggressive vocals. The musicianship is really on another level, as McKnight and Chervenak are both phenomenal guitarists, equally impressive and constantly progressing and expanding each other’s riffs. The dual attack seems to drive each of them to expand their melodic creativity with each new twist and angular turn evident on “Gung Ho!” a track rich with memorable harmonies and unapologetically jagged rhythms. The band cruises through space and time with no restraint as they manage to remain cohesive together while unthinkably loose. “Uhm Tsk” takes a rapid approach to their madness, forgoing the calm before the storm as the jerky build quickly emerges full blown. Chervenak’s vocals are yelped with intense melodic bite, as he works catchy and memorable passages into the elastic angular spaces.
“Greenville” opens with a crisp and calming vocal melody, quickly collapsing into discordant guitars that spiral with treacherous atonal riffs. Weiss’ drum fills explode in a colorful stampede, trampling everything in their path before easing back into the jazzy groove of the melody. The song continues to tread through menacing peaks and tranquil valleys until its freefall into the charging finale with howling guitars, pounding bass, and syncopated drums. “I’ll Have Mine” is the track that first got me hooked on this band; it is a stunning and undeniably catchy daze of odd metered riffs, rhythms, and vocals that continuously push forward, pulling the mounting tension in every direction. Weiss and Olachea fuse together at the crushing height of the crescendo just before the intensity is pulled back into the hazy psychedelic-jazz-punk finish. Their unflinching, unrelenting debut comes to an end on “Blueville,” steeped in warm subsonic bass tones, breezy harmonic guitars, and simplistic vocals that slowly build and retreat with the songs warped, druggy disorientation. When all is said and done and the smoke has cleared without knowing what just hit you, I can promise you’ll be ready for round two. Yeddo is an album that only gets better with each listen, unfolding with new things to hear on every spin. This is only the beginning for Grass Is Green… you’ve been warned.
--Dan Goldin
Comments
London, UK
Just bought the download so hoping this is as good as described. I like the RIYL and haven't got into a new band in that genre for a while
Currently listening to:
Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - Exegesis
Suspyre - Suspyre
Hot Water Music - Exister
7 Horns 7 Eyes - Throes Of Absolution
Brooklyn, NY
you could have streamed it first to see if you like it... but i'd love to know your thoughts.
www.explodinginsound.com
Coopersburg, PA
The songs on their site are sweet; and the album is only $5 on bandcamp - I may have to pick this up.
Ann Arbor, MI
Great album.
DETH ROK!!!!