Fun "Szklarska Poreba" CD
[If Society]
In their bio this Finnish act give influential nods to the likes of The Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Slint, and Sonic Youth, among a handful of classic hardcore/punk outfits like Minor Threat, and blending all of those bands together would actually give you a decent idea of what to look out for here. The material is definitely angular and rather jarring at times, with a good emphasis on driving basslines and percussive force alongside looser and more noise laden guitar passages, while the vocals are mixed deep in with the music and range from straight shouting to more of a semi spoken delivery. "Arizona Spit Trip" dives right in with one of the catchier and more tangible song structures that flirts with obscure little bits of discordant melody, "I Know Ned Kennedy" starts out a little darker and more dissonant before plowing into an energetic surge with more of a rocked out vibe, "Big Lies" takes that a bit farther with spoken vocals and thick bass chords backing sparse guitars (often rather noisy) for a gloomier composition, and "Flyvende Teppe" is one of the more caustic pieces and is driven almost entirely by instrumentation. On the other hand, the instrumental "Killing the Conditional" closes out the disc on a softer note with a really nice, laidback rhythm and restrained guitars - longer than the other tracks at five minutes it plods along nicely with strong repetition and makes for my favorite selection of the album. The recording sounds great for this style. There's a good bite to the guitar tone that gives it a little more dirtiness for the grating textures without it becoming too abrasive, the bass tone is perfectly defined and thick, and the percussion is totally natural with plenty of dense warmth rounding things out. The vocals can be a little hard to discern at times, but I really enjoy that, especially with this style of music, because it really makes the end result sound like a cohesive entity (not to mention that vocals do usually take a backseat to instrumental passages on this one). The disc comes in a nice looking gatefold digipack with minimal artwork consisting of a few bizarre illustrations and minimal text basically displaying just the lyrics and contact information. Lyrically things are very strange, somewhat abstract and quirky, somewhat suggestive, but definitely unusual: "I sleep in my own pee, But I still shit outside, Right on their graves, But they don't mind, But don't you fuck with me though, Time takes a toll, Just a can of petrol, And I'll burn you all..." I like this. It's not the kind of thing I would listen to regularly, but those who are into some of the bands these dudes are taking inspiration from (most notably The Jesus Lizard) should certainly look into this one. They've got a nice sense of humor happening as well, one that works without being overbearing or out of place. An aptly named band, then. Good work. (7/10)
Running time - 31:30, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Arizona Spit Trip, Big Lies, Killing the Conditional]
If Society - http://www.ifsociety.com

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