review - Generation Of Vipers' Grace

It seems, to me at least, that metal has hit a wall in the past few years. Popular taste has seen fit to champion shameful hybrids (I'm not so sure "metalcore" is any less appalling than "rap-metal"), and even beyond those shallow trends mediocrity holds sway. It could be, of course, that I'm simply finally growing out of my metal phase; my tastes have mellowed over the years, and Seasons In The Abyss doesn't find itself riding shotgun in my car as often as it used to. This can't be the problem, though, because I still get pretty enthusiastic about excellence in metal, and at no time is my genuine affection clearer than when I'm listening to the drony, epic soundscapes of bands like Isis and Pelican. These bands sacrifice the precision and speed of typical metal for hypnotic rhythms and expansive song structures, and the result is all the more blistering for the beauty and depth of vision that find themselves caught up in the sonic brutality of it all.

If Knoxville's own GENERATION OF VIPERS don't deviate significantly from the blueprint laid by those and other bands, it's because it serves them well, and they it: their debut LP Grace is a strong, remarkably excellent opening statement from a band that's obviously already at the top of its game. The record opens with ominous feedback swirling vulturously around forlorn acoustic guitar, and the tension builds dizzyingly with restrained drumming and gained-out screams of guitarist/vocalist Joshua Holt, finally finding release in a diabolically fuzzed bass. And then... the onslaught. An album like this can live and die by its production, and despite humble origins (it was recorded at home by the Vipers and Travis Kammeyer of Ocoai, then mixed by MiAH at the Sound Lair) the sound here is absolutely stunning. The guitars aren't at the forefront to the extent you'd expect, but every possible sonic inch is accounted for; the drums are particularly mighty, and seem to surround the listener hopelessly. The metal proceeds relentlessly through the rest of the seamless four track, 41 minute LP, offering only brief patches of respite, and the result is exhilirating, hypnotic, and absolutely epic.

RIYL: Neurosis, Isis, Jesu

MP3: head to their myspace site for a taste of Grace

review - Westside Daredevils' Twilight Children

It's said that Knoxville is known for its power pop; though I would argue that if Knoxville is known for anything it involves a toppled Sunsphere full of wigs, there is indeed a long tradition of sugary rock music in the area, and few active bands embody this legacy the way the WESTSIDE DAREDEVILS do. Though the spectre of Superdrag looms heavy in spots on their (for now) self-released sophomore LP Twilight Children (particularly in initial standout "Chicks In Time Machines"), the Daredevils crack the power pop mold in a few notable places: their busy, acrobatic melodies and harmonies dazzle throughout, and their song structures are peppered with abrupt (but expertly handled) shifts and stops. These strengths, however, occasionally double as liabilities; some of the melodies are so intricate as to be almost inaccessible, and the stuttering rhythms have a way of disrupting a song's flow. Familiarity solves these problems, though, and by the third or fourth listen the album reveals itself as an accomplished slice of light power pop, and an eminently qualified addition to Knoxville's grand canon.

RIYL: The Wrens, Superdrag, Big Star

MP3: "Sea Of Chrome" (2:58)

live - The Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight

THE MIDNIGHT BOMBER WHAT BOMBS AT MIDNIGHT played their second show tonight at the Pilot Light and it's clear that they're quickly becoming a creative force to be reckoned with; their first show's appallingly entertaining synthesis of thrash metal, free jazz, noise and prog-for-prog's-sake now counts 60s surf and middle eastern music among its ranks, and the goofy aggressivity of the music carries through to the onstage behavior of its four members, whose technical prowess and bullyish candor meet at right angles and cause the music to evoke nothing less than a million little explosions. This is some of the most interesting and entertaining live music I've ever seen.

RIYL: Naked City, Estradasphere, The Ventures

NEXT: 2/17 @ Pilot Light with ORTHRELM

review - Tenderhooks EP

I spend a lot of time talking about how the TENDERHOOKS are the best band in Knoxville, and was relieved last fall when they finally finished their debut EP (available from the Local arm of ex-drummer Robbi Koons' New Beat Records), as I now spend less time telling and more time proving. The Tenderhooks play twangy guitar pop, drawing on southern rock, Britpop, and 70s AOR to produce a refined (if not particularly revolutionary) aesthetic showcasing the kinetic, often brilliant songwriting of Jake Winstrom and Ben Oyler. Recorded by Koons a little under a year ago, this self-titled EP highlights the band's greatest assets in Winstrom's delicate, soaring voice (the lovely "Starlight") and Oyler's virtuosic guitar work (particularly in the introduction to "Long Time Sunshine" and on standout "Reconcile These Things") but doesn't entriely hint at how far they've come in the last year due to constant gigging and the continued contributions of bassist Emily Robinson and new drummer Travis Schappel. Still, at least half of the material represented here is among their strongest, and it's certainly an impressive appetizer to the full length they're planning for 2006.

RIYL: The Kinks, The Zombies, Wilco

MP3: "Reconcile These Things" (4:01)

in rememberance - The Chelsea Horror

Though short-lived (2003-2004), THE CHELSEA HORROR cemented a certain legacy before the final chord of their first live show, as singer Henry Gibson flailed, naked as the day he was born and covered in significantly more maple syrup, through the crowd of the Pilot Light's annual Halloween extravaganza. Though that night's set consisted entirely of Stooges covers, that infamous theatricality emerged a few months later in the form of the band's own intensely dramatic music, a dark and hard-edged crossbreed of indie rock and glam. The band burned brightly, managing to build a solid reputation and record an enormously accessible (and largely stellar) EP before the onstage departure of guitarist Brandon Biondo triggered an untimely demise. Gibson and guitarist Zach Land eventually carried on the CH torch with the more stripped-down sounds of Cold Hands, while Mat resumed work with the now-defunct Redwinterdying, Courtney helped form the doom metal outfit Generation Of Vipers, and Brandon continued his Twinkiebots output.

Discography: an untitled, unreleased EP (available at DMusic); "Sirens" on El Deth's Sunspheric Sounds comp

RIYL: Bloc Party? i don't know.

MP3: "Too Late" (2:28)
MP3: "Ghost Of A Girl" (3:16)

in rememberance - The Sense

I've never been a fan of poppy punk, despite (still) owning the Green Day and Offspring tapes requisite to any seventh grader circa 1993. It'd be fair, in fact, to say I just about hate it, and that's why my appreciation for Jamestown's THE SENSE always seemed so profound. Led by singer Steve Delk, who sounds a good deal like Bad Religion's Greg Graffin and has among the finest live singing voices in the city, The Sense played impassioned pop-punkish rock that didn't limit itself aesthetically; towards the end of the band, in fact, you could very clearly hear elements of new influences creeping into the music, but never betraying the songs or sounding anything like a logical progression, which highlights just how good they were to begin with. The best of their songs are phenomenal; the players compliment each other well, and meet in the service of a damn good song. It was different musical directions, though, that seemed to have gotten the best of The Sense in the end; they split up in the spring of 2005 after briefly renaming themselves City Of Traitors for a final EP. Joey, Kirk and Mike kept the City Of Traitors moniker for their doomish slowcore project, while Doug and Steve founded Diesel And Dust.

Discography: The Sense EP; City Of Traitors EP (both available via the City Of Traitors site); "Wish You Well" on El Deth's Sunspheric Sounds comp

RIYL: Texas Is The Reason, Bad Religion, Hot Water Music

MP3: "Bloodlust Discotheque" (3:33)
MP3: "The Problem With Perspective" (3:18)

profile - Sadville

Around my 10th grade year, a group calling themselves the Johnson City Collective started putting on DIY hardcore & punk shows in my hometown. Some of the most memorable shows I've ever seen took place in that grubby space downtown (now a karate studio, if memory serves), and accordingly my personal ideal of hardcore was shaped by the gripping, brutal, intensely emotional music I witnessed there in the late 1990s, as was my appreciation for the virtues of DIY culture. As the Collective dissipated a couple of years later (replaced for a short time by a place called The Office, which sullied the Collective's torch by throwing high school jock metal bands onto decent bills and slowly faded away) and I went off to school, my tastes drifted away from hardcore, but my appreciation has always lingered, dormant in the face of isolation from the subculture I'd once treasured.

Cookeville's SADVILLE have been my salvation. They play hardcore in the Gravity/Ebullition mode, nurturing brutality, chaos, and beauty in equal measure. The sweating, spitting and shouting of their devastating live show (they effortlessly upstaged No Idea's The Holy Mountain at the Longbranch this summer) take me right back to the tenth grade, and their DIY ethic is (sadly) unrivaled in these parts. "Forbidden Dance Of Decay", reliable show-closer and Sadville mission statement, is everything emotional hardcore ought to be, and one of my favorite songs. (A rerecorded version is due out soon on a split 7" from Akathis Records.) Thank you, Sadville, for putting so many of my records back into regular rotation.

RIYL: Man Is The Bastard, His Hero Is Gone, Bread & Circuits

MP3: "Forbidden Dance Of Decay" (8:36)

a new beginning

this music blog will be an extension of the It Takes A City Of Thousands To Hold Us Back project i embarked upon a few years ago to promote local music and DIY culture in and around Knoxville, Tennessee.

i was happy with the results for the most part, but i can't say i didn't hope for more, and don't feel motivated to put out a third issue of the compilation, so instead i am launching this, a place where i can post and promote music from Knoxville area bands who are doing quality work, and reflect on past bands whose music might have fallen by the wayside for one reason or another.

hopefully time will see a remanifestation of the compilation, though probably (and regretfully, i promise) in a less submission-oriented format. because there's a lot of good music around, and even more shitty music. you know how that goes.

there'll be five sorts of posts: PROFILES of active bands, highlighting a representative track; REVIEWS of current/new releases; LIVE reviews of bands; IN REMEMBERANCE profiles of defunct bands, presenting two or more tracks; and PEOPLE/PLACES profiles, featuring interviews/FAQs/etc of notable people, locations, etc.

also, fellow curmudgeon emily robinson will be joining me in this celebration. huzzah.