All Scars are an all-star sextet of post-punk musicians and noisemakers. Some of this band's scarred stars come from such Dischord bands as Fugazi, Beefeater, and Fidelity Jones. Improvised, extemporaneous, impulsive, and unpremeditated sonic outbursts are favored by the All Scars' Jerry Busher, Dug Birdzell, Chuck Bettis, Brendan Canty, James Canty, Amy Farina, and Evan Rapport. With free-spirited convictions in mind, the band journeys into realms of uncharted sound with what appears to be a strong sense of humor. All Scars' explorations can be found on their Early Ambient and Introduction To Humanity albums.
All Scars 7'' (1996)
Early, Ambient (1997)
Introduction To Humanity (1999)
Lunar Magus (2002)
Ярлыки:
math rock,
noise rock,
post-rock
Following the sudden demise of Rodan, guitarist Jeff Mueller kept Louisville's math rock flame burning with his new band, June of 44. Following in the footsteps of Mueller's earlier band, as well as scene progenitors Slint, June of 44 crafted loud, dissonant, complex guitar rock as intellectual as it was forceful. However, they weren't merely replicating what had come before them; June of 44's compositions usually followed more conventional structures, and their arrangements evolved into a more diverse proposition, augmenting the heavy guitars with electronics, sampled loops, and chamber jazz flourishes courtesy of strings, trumpet, and vibes. As such, their progression mirrored developments in some of the other branches of the post-rock movement. After several albums for Touch & Go affiliate Quarterstick during the latter half of the '90s, the band split up to concentrate on other projects.
June of 44 came together in late 1994, not long after the unexpected breakup of the seminal math rock outfit Rodan. Jeff Mueller, one half of Rodan's dual-guitar attack, teamed up with Lungfish's Sean Meadows (who switched from bass to guitar), bassist/trumpeter Fred Erskine (a veteran of Dischord bands Hoover and the Crownhate Ruin), and drummer Doug Scharin, who'd played in the groundbreaking slowcore bands Codeine and Rex. The band's name was inspired by a variety of factors, chiefly the date of correspondence between erotic fiction writers Henry Miller and Anais Nin; the month also coincided with the birth of Mueller's mother and the military service of Meadows' grandfather. With the members living in different cities, they first convened for a recording session in New York; the results were released in the summer of 1995 by Rodan's former label, Quarterstick, as the group's debut album, Engine Takes to the Water. Given the short gestation period, the music strongly recalled the angular riffs, extreme dynamic range, and shifting meters of Rodan.
With their second album, 1996's Tropics and Meridians, June of 44 established themselves as a top-notch experimental indie band, offering a more fully realized take on the sound of their debut. In the meantime, Scharin kicked off the solo side project HiM, pursuing dubby, experimental post-rock and recording at a prolific pace, often with assistance from Erskine. Meadows also started a side project called the Sonora Pine with Tara Jane O'Neil, one of Mueller's ex-bandmates in Rodan; they released two albums over 1996-1997. Erskine, meanwhile, moonlighted with the bluesy, D.C.-based the Boom. The members' outside exploits -- which were generally of a subtler nature -- soon began to make themselves felt in June of 44's music, starting with 1997's transitional Anatomy of Sharks EP.
1998's full-length Four Great Points signaled the band's even more experimental new direction, making greater use of Scharin's interest in electronic music and Erskine's trumpet-playing skills. That year, Scharin also debuted another avant-garde side project, the eclectic Out in Worship (aka Out of Worship). The fourth June of 44 album, 1999's Anahata, expanded on the model of its immediate predecessor, deepening the jazz influence and sampling techniques; there were also substantial contributions from violin/viola player Julie Liu. Anahata was followed later that year by an EP, In the Fishtank; it was part of a series from the Dutch label Konkurrent, which offered limited free studio time to intriguing bands on tour in Europe. It proved to be the final June of 44 release, as the band broke up in 2000. Meadows quickly embarked on two projects, the Letter E and the solo Everlasting the Way, while Erskine played trumpet in Abilene, in addition to several other sideman gigs. Scharin continued with HiM, also playing with Loftus and Mice Parade, among others. Mueller, for his part, subsequently reunited with Rodan guitar mate Jason Noble in the Shipping News.
Engine Takes to the Water (1994)
Tropics And Meridians (1996)
Four Great Points (1998)
In The Fishtank 6 (1999)
Anahata (1999)
The Lion (2000)
Ярлыки:
math rock,
post-hardcore,
post-rock
Chicago experimental indie rock trio Storm & Stress was guitarist + singer Ian Williams (of Battles & ex- Don Caballero), drummer Kevin Shea & bassist Erich Ehm. The band recorded their 1st album "Storm & Stress", w/ Steve Albini in 1997. It was released in July of that same year on Touch & Go. In June 1999, Storm & Stress recorded their follow-up album with Jim O'Rourke, this time with guest appearances by not only Micah Gaugh, who also performed on their first release, but by drummer Jim Black, as well. Under Thunder & Fluorescent Lights was released in 2000 on Touch & Go.
Ярлыки:
math rock
Arising from the Louisville math rock scene that also spawned Slint and Rodan, Crain's slow, post-hardcore grind bore some resemblance to the likes of Helmet and the Jesus Lizard. However, their intricate compositions and time signature shifts were firmly a product of the Louisville scene, and even influenced some of the local bands that eventually rose to greater prominence. Crain was formed in 1989 after the breakup of the local band Cerebellum, with an initial lineup that featured vocalist Drew Daniel, guitarist Tim Furnish, bassist Jon Cook, and drummer Will Chatham. After recording a song that wound up on a split 7" with Deathwatch, Daniel left for college, and would later go on to form one-half of the experimental techno outfit Matmos. Cook took over lead vocals for a short time, then Kristen Shelor passed through the ranks until guitarist/singer Joey Mudd -- another ex-Cerebellum member -- became the frontman in early 1990. Mudd sang on a second track on the Crain/Deathwatch split, which was released on Slamdek that year; he also performed on the four-song EP Rocket, issued on the band's own Automatic Wreckords label in 1991. This lineup recorded the first Crain LP, which was issued on Automatic Wreckords in 1992; titled Speed, it was produced by the legendary Steve Albini.
Mudd departed after its completion, and Cook took his spot on lead vocals; he also switched to guitar, and a new rhythm section of bassist Jason Hayden and drummer John Causey came on board. Causey stuck around long enough to contribute "Coalmine #666" to a Simple Machines collection called Working Holiday!, but soon departed. When Crain entered the studio with Albini to record its second album, Jon Cook doubled up on guitar and drums; he also moonlighted briefly as the initial drummer for renowned math rockers Rodan. Crain's sophomore album, Heater, was picked up by Restless Records for national release in 1994. Full-time drummer Tony Bailey joined soon after, and when bassist Hayden subsequently left, he was replaced by Todd Cook. In 1995, the group contributed the Heater track "Hey Cops!" to the soundtrack of the cult indie rock film Half Cocked. They also began work on a new album, but it was never completed; Crain disbanded at the end of 1996. Furnish formed Parlour with Bailey, while Todd Cook went on to play with prominent Louisville indie bands like the For Carnation, Retsin, Four Fifty Six, and the Shipping News. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Speed (1992)
Heater (1994)
Ярлыки:
math rock,
post-hardcore
David Grubbs, Jim O'Rourke's future Gastr del Sol partner, formed Bastro after the end of Squirrel Bait; the Kentucky-born guitarist/singer recorded the band's six-song debut with only a former bandmate, bassist Clark Johnson, and a rhythm machine. Bringing drummer John McEntire into the lineup, the trio made Bastro Diablo Guapo, an above-average LP that embraces — but isn't consumed by — Chicago-styled thrash noise. Rather than careen around like a rhinoceros plugged into an electric socket, Bastro stays tight, well-structured and musical, even when engaging in meltdown firepower.
Sing the Troubled Beast tempers Grubbs' extremist instincts to reveal a rough but stately melodic side, and an affecting poetic sensibility. The guitar has the rich textures of a Hammond organ (an instrument which, along with piano, makes an occasional appearance here); the rhythm section demonstrates the facility to dig trenches or drop back to small-scale time-keeping. While "The Sifter" is either a disastrous mastering mistake or just a pointless bit of transistorized foolishness, the haunting, somber "Tobacco in the Sink" crystallizes Bastro's achievements.
Rode Hard and Put Up Wet
Diablo Guapo
Sing the Troubled Beast
Split with My Dad is Dead
Split with Codeine
Ярлыки:
math rock,
noise rock,
post-hardcore
Devin Ocampo and Chad Molter have been musical partners, swapping instruments and bands, since their high school days in Los Angeles. Devin migrated east to Washington, DC in 1996 where he joined Smart Went Crazy for their second and final album, Con Art. Chad soon followed and the two formed the highly influential Faraquet with SWC guitarist Jeff Boswell. Faraquet released a couple singles, a split EP with Akarso, and one full-length, The View From This Tower, before disbanding in 2000.
Chad and Devin were again reunited when Medications formed in 2003. The original Medications line-up, which included drummer Andy Becker, released and EP and a full-length ( on Dischord Records and toured extensively in the States and in Europe.
The recording of the new Medications album, CompletelyRemoved, documents a new phase for the band with Chad and Devin covering all the writing and most of the instrumental duties following the departure of Becker. Happily both are accomplished multi-instrumentalists and are joined live and in the studio by longtime friend and musical swing-man Mark Cisneros.
CompletelyRemoved released in April 2010 and the band plans targeted touring in the States, Europe and bey
Ярлыки:
dischord,
indie rock,
math rock
