Review: Fuck The Facts - Amer

Fuck The Facts

Amer

Self-Released/Relapse

Everyone in metal should probably sit down and take notes from Fuck the Facts.  This group of Ottawa/Gatineau-based bastardized grinders have been putting out some of the best ear-splitting music around for over a decade, and do so without half of the praise they deserve.  Beginning as Topon Daz’s one-man brainchild, FTF has somehow become one of the most well-respected and hard-working bands in metal.  I’ve seen them play in some of the dingiest, dirtiest, shittiest venues in Ontario, and they always put on a fuckin’ show, even if it was only to 20 people. 

Fuck the Facts are a band I’ve long respected and appreciated, largely in part because of their ability to stay fresh and interesting in a genre that is all too often guilty of rehashing old riffs and refusing to think outside the box.  Recent albums Disgorge Mexico and Die Miserable moved the band away from pure-blistering grind and into darker, more ethereal territory.  Luckily, each new evolution of this band has been more interesting, mature, and more enjoyable than the one before. 

Their new EP, Amer, is no different.  Blending elements of grind, death, and even groove metal, this record is damn near accessible.  Now, using a term like that for Fuck the Facts barely makes any sense, but it’s oddly applicable here.  The songs are full of well-thought out dynamics, usually run around the 2-3 minute mark, and are full of amazing riffs and catchy vocal patterns.  And somehow they do all of this without becoming boring, generic, or soft.  Pay especially close attention to tracks like "Une Triste Vue" and "A Void", as they really embody what I'm trying to say.

One caveat, if you are wayyyyy into lyrical content, but do not have a grip on the French language, then this may not be the best album for you.  Written entirely in French, this album has put my 6^th grade French Immersion skills to the test.  Nevertheless, there is little doubt about the pain and anguish behind many of these lyrics. 

So all in all, if you haven’t listened to Fuck the Facts before this might actually be a good place to start.  But really, what the hell is your problem? Don’t you like good metal?  Why haven’t you listened to this band yet? Shame on you.  This has quickly become one of the best records of 2013 and easily my favourite non-English record of all time (I'm not sure if that's saying much, but whatever, it's true).  

Buy it here (And if you dig this record from FTF I highly recommend the Misery EP as well).

Review: Hoax - Collected LP

Hoax

Collected LP

Adagio830

At this point it really feels like an endorsement of Hoax is on par with an endorsement of Taylor Swift (which we’ve done here) or Die Hard (also on the podcast...you should really be listening to that thing), but I figured I would throw my hat in the ring anyways.  Hoax seemingly came out of nowhere, with a killer 7”, a maniac singer, and one of the best songs of the year (Faggot).  From there they got all internet famous, but strangely enough they actually seemed to deserve it.  Subsequent 7”s proved that they weren’t just one-trick ponies, and a seemingly-constant touring schedule helped demonstrate to anyone that cared to watch that the chaos that they put on wax could be duplicated on stage every time.

In other words, Hoax seems to actually be worth the hype.  The only problem was that, up until this point, they just had a gaggle of 7”s floating around.  Now, I love a good 7” more than most, but I understand that for those outside of the record-collecting world, it seems like a ridiculously small amount of music.  Fortunately, some guy (or gal) in Europe got his/her shit together enough to put everything that Hoax has released onto one LP.  And listening to it all together really is the way I now prefer to listen to this band.

As for the actual music, I can’t stress enough that you just have to listen to it.  It’s raw, it’s catchy-in-a-hardcore-way, it’s hate-filled, it’s filled with themes of alienation and violence...do you really need more incentive then that?  No, you don’t.  So listen to it.  And then send us your thanks.  We deserve it.

Buy it here.

Review: The Ducky Boys - Chemicals EP

The Ducky Boys

Chemicals EP

State Line Records

“I ain’t ashamed to say, I’ve had a pretty bad year.”

Jesus… Where was I on this one?

I guess 2012 is the year that The Ducky Boys make up for the 6 year hiatus they took after The War Back Home.  After already releasing a comeback LP at the start of the year with Chasing The Ghost, they dropped this four song EP back in May… and NOBODY TOLD ME!!! Nice job, The Internet.

Anyways, I maintain that The Ducky Boys have never put out a bad record. They have albums that I enjoy more than others. But at their worst, I still couldn’t call this band anything less than “solid.” There’s just something about Mark Lind’s raspy yet melodic voice and their ability to write vaguely aggressive sounding working class punk anthems that wins my heart every time. I mean, It’s not like the city of Boston is suffering from some crazy shortage of working class punk bands, but I’d put The Ducky Boys up against any just about any of them any day of the week.

So, what does this EP bring to the table?

Chemicals offers up 4 more tracks of polished, melodic punk rock. This band has been refining their sound for years now, and have tightened up to the point that they are really not like any other street punk band. I can’t think of any way to describe it other than mature. Which is good because there are plenty of street punk bands that are basically caricatures at this point. I’m thinking of The Casualties and other mohawked, day glo tinted bands like that. Nuttin’ wrong with that, but I’m a grown ass man, dawg.

I wanna give a special mention to the last song on this thing. “Pretty Bad Year” is a classic rock n roll tinged track with Lind on lead vocals. It features the kind of sing along type chorus that I love and would, I think, kill in a live setting. Besides which, it’s a fine example of the sort of introspective, beer swilling, blue-collar punk this band does so well. It’s really good.

Honestly, the fact that this band isn’t HUGE is a fucking travesty. With they way people jock bands like Gaslight & Dropkicks, getting into The Ducky Boys should be a goddamn no-brainer. But, selfishly, I guess I like the fact that this is a band that still feels special and unspoiled by idiots to me. They describe themselves on the Bandcamp page as “your second favorite Boston band.” It’s self-deprecating, but pretty much true.

That being said, I don’t want to wait another six years for another LP from these guys. To that end, everybody needs to toss these guys the 4 bucks they’re selling this thing for.

Totally worth it.

Buy This!

Review: Single Mothers - Self-Titled 7" EP

Single Mothers

Self-Titled 7” EP

Secret Voices (Distributed through Deathwish Inc.)

Track Listing:

1. Christian Girls

2. Hell is My Backup Plan

3. Winter Coats

4. Baby

Let me start off by saying Touche Amore has never been my cup of tea, so I barely raised an eyebrow when their singer announced that he was starting a label and that he had already signed a band.  What did pique my attention was when I found out that the band was from my one-time hometown of London, Ontario and that they were punk/hardcore band that kept getting compared to the likes of the Hold Steady.  So I finally decided to get off my lazy ass and check out what Single Mothers was all about.    

First off, I am embarrassed that I slept on this band for even the short period of time I did (this EP is their first official release, although they have a Wild Party EP that’s worth checking out).  Single Mothers plays an interesting mix of melodic hardcore and catchy punk rock that is glazed over with a general “I drink, smoke, and fuck too much” sense of bravado/regret.  As an aging asshole I’m always skeptical of this hard-living brand of punk sleaze, but the music and lyrics both seem too honest and earnest to ignore or discount.  This EP has an impressive energy that runs through it, especially given its short length and stylistic variety, and should appeal to punk, hardcore, alcoholic kids alike.

Having said all of this, the most impressive part of this EP in my opinion is vocalist Drew Thomson’s ability to describe London, Ontario.  As a former Londoner, I can personally vouch for his portrayal of London as a place littered with coked-out university kids, a desolate downtown, and a winter bar scene that is populated predominantly by women freezing to death in mini-skirts.   The only other song that I can think of that  comes close to Thomson’s description of this frustrating and enigmatic place to live is Brutal Knight’s “Worst City”, but whereas that song is a strict condemnation of London, Single Mothers seems to use the city as a backdrop/foundation for debauchery and self-reflection.  Alright, I know everyone who isn’t from London is about to tell me to shut the fuck up, so I will.  Just go buy this record, no matter where you are from.

Buy it from Deathwish