"Night Minutes" is the latest from New Zealand's Strangers on the sadly now defunct Action Man Records, unloading six tracks in about 13 minutes. For the most part this picks up where their full-length, "Weight", left off, with an absolutely awesome recording helping unite the band's fusion of dark 'n' dingy midpaced rhythms and looser, more chaotic riffing (think "noise rock" meets Converge-esque "metalcore"). But things are definitely starting to feel a little more intense here in terms of frantic speeds, hammering basslines, and overall explosiveness. Each time out the band seems to push just a little farther, and it definitely pays off for 'em. The variety keeps things interesting and adds a little more atmosphere/breathing room, the acerbic bursts aren't so out of control that they become unhinged, and the overall aesthetic of the songwriting is dead on for this style. It's hard for me to believe that in this day and age bands from outside the US still face so many challenges in terms of reaching the widest audience possible, but... it's really lazy listeners that are to blame. I'm quite sure this band would be fairly "popular" if they were from the US and signed to a label like Deathwish Inc. or something, so... keep an open mind and check 'em out!
The 7" comes with a 3" CD-R of the material, so you should be set even if you don't have a turntable. Gotta love it!
