This is a whopping 26-track disc of gritty, distorted rock out of Boston that includes various tracks recorded over two different three-day sessions in 2001 and 2002, including some outtakes and alternate mixes, as well as a cover of "+2 Charisma" by La Gritona. This is probably the best these guys have sounded. The guitars are textured, there are light distortion filters over the bass and vocals, and at times even the drums are distorted. But it sounds fucking great. It's warm and dense, plus the mix is perfect. I don't think I would change a thing. Not unlike their prior efforts most of the tracks revolve around sludgy rock 'n' roll rhythms with a punk feel and gruff singing vocals, hovering around the succinct two-minute mark (sometimes more, sometimes less). "Summer of Lies" is an instrumental - quieter and more melodic with some ambient textures and rumbling percussion. "Saturation Emission" is slightly longer and carries a driving tempo with some excellent melody and cleaner singing vocals (harmonized) that create an incredibly awesome atmosphere. Many of the disc's bonus tracks are brief experimental noise pieces ("Baikal Depths" and "Urdu is an Amalgam", for example), but there are also a couple of interesting alternate mixes of tracks that include only drums or only drums and vocals - proving that there is a shocking amount of distortion present just over those two elements. As for the outtakes, "Death to America" is a 12+ minute sludge track with nothing but slow, droning guitar tones, while "My Own Private Altamont" is more than eight minutes of plodding and droning sludge mastery with some incredibly emotional singing going on. I don't think I ever heard the connection before, but some of this stuff is definitely reminding me of a more stripped down and less southern Alabama Thunderpussy type of style. The layout's pretty minimal: Black, white, and yellow, with text and a few simple band photos and some dirty textures off to the side. Some of the lyrics are included and the content tends to be succinct: "Dead eyes, dead end turn around and get fucked again the rug and the ceiling don't bring it up don't tell me I know it ain't good I know dead eyes, dead end turn around and get fucked again." I honestly could've done without most of the bonus noise tracks because they feel out of place and slapped on just to fill space, but the alternate mixes and previously unreleased outtakes are a nice addition. I think these guys broke up, which is a shame. They never did let me down. If you like your rock with an edge and a lot of feeling, check this out.
[Small Stone]
Running time - 68:00 (approximately), Tracks: 26
[Notable tracks: Jeff's Flag, Get Fucked Again, Nice Problem, Saturation Emission, My Own Private Altamont]
Small Stone Records - http://www.smallstone.com
