In the same way the huge variety of rock music we know today stemmed from Blues and R&B (original R&B I should add), Hardcore, one of the most simplistic and visceral forms of music, has created a huge amount of artists who are really pushing the boundaries of what can be classed as hardcore and punk. Granted, they might have to thank Yes and Rush as much as Black Flag, but the energy still feels like hardcore.
Two bands in this mould with new music coming out soon are The Fall Of Troy and Circa Survive (coincidently both on Equal Vision Records). What isn't coincidence is that both these bands are hitting their stride at the same time as using such producers as Matt Bayles (Minus The Bear, Isis) and Brian McTernan (Thrice, From Autumn To Ashes).
The Fall Of Troy are a tricky one. The music they create defies their ages (somewhere around their early 20s) and just the first riff of opener I Just Got This Symphony Goin' (from last year’s Doppelganger) blows you so far away that jaws fall to the floor. The only issue I had was the unnecessary amounts of screaming, especially as singer Thomas Erak has a fine set of pipes. What we cannot fault them on, however, is the quite brilliant song titles. Who else do you know who has songs called We Better Learn To Hot Wire A Uterus, A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama. (a well known palindrome) and the utterly sublime Macaulay McCulkin. Anyway the pick of the new tracks available is Semi-Fiction, but in my opinion this doesn’t beat F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.
MP3: The Fall Of Troy - Semi-Fiction (from Manipulator)
MP3: The Fall Of Troy - F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. (from Doppelganger)
Buy The Fall Of Troy - Manipulator
Buy The Fall Of Troy - Doppelganger
Circa Survive also have weird and wonderful riffs but they have something that no other band has: Anthony Green. Once a vocalist for Saosin, Green has a unique, almost falsetto style and probably the most distinctive voice in hardcore (post, melodic or original) today. Unlike someone like Claudio Sanchez of Coheed And Cambria, Green’s voice never grates and definitely does not sound weak or whiney. To carry strength through falsetto is a gift and an art, one that Green is a master of. This new track, from their forthcoming album On Letting Go, is getting better with every listen. I felt the first album had a great sound but not enough standout tracks. I hold hopes for the second offering. And let’s be fair, the album cover for On Letting Go is one of the best I have seen for a while.
MP3: Circa Survive – The Difference Between Medicine And Poison Is In The Dose (from On Letting Go)
MP3: Circa Survive - Act Appalled (from Juturna)
Buy Circa Survive - On Letting Go
Buy Circa Survive - Juturna
Two bands in this mould with new music coming out soon are The Fall Of Troy and Circa Survive (coincidently both on Equal Vision Records). What isn't coincidence is that both these bands are hitting their stride at the same time as using such producers as Matt Bayles (Minus The Bear, Isis) and Brian McTernan (Thrice, From Autumn To Ashes).
The Fall Of Troy are a tricky one. The music they create defies their ages (somewhere around their early 20s) and just the first riff of opener I Just Got This Symphony Goin' (from last year’s Doppelganger) blows you so far away that jaws fall to the floor. The only issue I had was the unnecessary amounts of screaming, especially as singer Thomas Erak has a fine set of pipes. What we cannot fault them on, however, is the quite brilliant song titles. Who else do you know who has songs called We Better Learn To Hot Wire A Uterus, A Man. A Plan. A Canal. Panama. (a well known palindrome) and the utterly sublime Macaulay McCulkin. Anyway the pick of the new tracks available is Semi-Fiction, but in my opinion this doesn’t beat F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.MP3: The Fall Of Troy - Semi-Fiction (from Manipulator)
MP3: The Fall Of Troy - F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. (from Doppelganger)
Buy The Fall Of Troy - Manipulator
Buy The Fall Of Troy - Doppelganger
Circa Survive also have weird and wonderful riffs but they have something that no other band has: Anthony Green. Once a vocalist for Saosin, Green has a unique, almost falsetto style and probably the most distinctive voice in hardcore (post, melodic or original) today. Unlike someone like Claudio Sanchez of Coheed And Cambria, Green’s voice never grates and definitely does not sound weak or whiney. To carry strength through falsetto is a gift and an art, one that Green is a master of. This new track, from their forthcoming album On Letting Go, is getting better with every listen. I felt the first album had a great sound but not enough standout tracks. I hold hopes for the second offering. And let’s be fair, the album cover for On Letting Go is one of the best I have seen for a while.
MP3: Circa Survive – The Difference Between Medicine And Poison Is In The Dose (from On Letting Go)
MP3: Circa Survive - Act Appalled (from Juturna)
Buy Circa Survive - On Letting Go
Buy Circa Survive - Juturna
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