Sophie's Floorboard: Kerosene 454

Thanks to Ivan for the suggestion, this band has been sorely missed on this blog for you too long.Kerosene 454 were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were active from 1993 to 1998.They released three full-length albums alongside a few EP's and splits, which is a sizable amount of material for only five years of activity.

Their earlier work is a lot rawer, distorted and dissonant, with a duel guitar attack creating a rhymtic trance that sits somewhere between the polarity of melodic and aggressive. Vocally, they can be strained or lethargic, and I mean that in the best of ways. I may be way off-base here, but at times they remind me of Nirvana, in terms of melody and inflection. By their final album, the production and instrumental is noticeably cleaner, with the guitar work weaving harmoniously, and the drums in particular really getting a chance to shine in their tight flurry. Despite being a DC band in its heyday, they were never a mainstay of the Dischord roster, putting out only two of their albums as co-releases with the label. Having said that, there is certainly some influence from that scene. Fans of bands including June Of 44, Policy Of 3, and The Crownhate Ruin absolutely need to check out Kerosene 454, though they may already be a band on your radar. Enjoy.