Coliseum were a three-piece hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that began in 2003 and broke up in 2015. They remained very prolific in that time, with five full-lengths and a slew of other releases. Sonically, they were incredibly progressive and thus hard to pin down. Their origins are rooted in hardcore and punk, delivering heavy riffs and aggressive vocals on early releases like their self-titled debut and the essential EP Goddamage. They carried on with the riff-heavy sound like a hardcore-oriented Torche, while beginning to branch out into more melodic off-shoots of punk. There's a notable post-hardcore sound in their later years, with influence clearly stemming from bands like Jawbox and Quicksand. The vocals became capable of sing-alongs, while the riffs/instrumentals brought in more space and groove. There's a lot to dive into here, but I'd suggest starting with the five studio albums, with Coliseum if you're looking for a slightly more traditional punk take, or Anxiety's Kiss if you're looking a unique, indie hardcore sound. Then just work your way back or forward depending on where you started. Enjoy.
Friday 23 April 2021
Coliseum
Thursday 22 April 2021
Ember
Orwell
Orwell were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Chicago, Illinois that were briefly around from 1995 to 1996. For many years, they were really known as being another project Bob Nanna (Braid, Hey Mercedes) was involved in, as their official releases were limited to sporadic compilation tracks and a handful of unreleased bootleg recordings circulating the internet. Finally, in 2021 an official discography was released, including all recorded material, as well as some live tracks and demos. The result was Orwell 1995, which is titled as such since everything on here was recorded that year. Sonically, fans of Nanna's other work will dig this, though it does have a more raw, aggressive sound in comparison to the usually melodic works of Braid. This compilation was thankfully made possible and released by American Handstand Records and Expert Work Records, who you can check out here. Enjoy.
Wednesday 21 April 2021
Camp Trash
Camp Trash are a four-piece indie/emo band from Bradenton, Florida that released their debut EP in January of 2021. I'm admittedly a little late to the game here, but these four tracks are absolutely perfect to soundtrack the coming summer months. They're a blend of pop punk and midwest emo (from The Get Up Kids to Oso Oso) and slacker indie rock a la Built To Spill. These songs are incredibly memorable, with fantastic lyricism, infectious energy and a sense of invincible nostalgia. They've got a bit of a wacky history you can read more about here. Highly recommended. Enjoy.
Friday 2 April 2021
Arm's Length
I've actually been having some trouble coming up with an accurate description for this band, since they don't fit in an exact niche to be compared to. Not to mention, this band sounds like they've been around for years, so this still being the early jumping off point in their tenure is absolutely astounding. Fans of bands like Balance And Composure, Daisyhead, and The Hotelier will certainly dig this, but there's also a lot of homage to the 2000's brand of popular emo/pop punk acts which I harbor no ill-will towards, but am too inexperienced with to make specific band comparisons.
What I do know is Everything Nice is an incredible effort of unique songwriting and dynamic musicianship, and a release I would highly recommend to fans of the more noteworthy acts posted on this blog. Even though I can't exactly put my finger on it, I know this is right up that alley, and a stark reminder that in 2021 emo is far from dead. Enjoy.