I suppose it's quite fitting that I follow my Rites of Spring post with one about One Last Wish.
One Last Wish formed in 1986, following the break-up of seminal punk band Rites of Spring due to the departure of bassist Michael Fellows. Remaining members Guy Picciotto, Brendan Canty, and Eddie Janney (who switched to playing bass, as well as contributing lead vocals on some songs) enlisted guitarist Michael Hampton (fomerly of Faith and Embrace) to create One Last Wish. They, like Rites of Spring, existed only briefly. They were active for only four months, and played six shows. The last thing they did before breaking up was record an album. However, since Dischord had been acquring a repuatation for released records by defunct bands, the album was shelved. This is with the exception of one song ("Burning in the Undertow"), which was released on the
State Of The Union compilation in 1989. Fast forward ten years to 1999. The One Last wish album is finally put out as a co-release between Dischord and Picciotto's label Peterbilt, titled
1986.
One Last Wish's sound is a noticeable deperature from Rites of Spring's despite the two bands being so closely related (though nowhere near the change in sound that the third RoS incarnation, Happy Go Licky, would bring). First off, OLW are not nearly as chaotic, abrasive, or cathartic as RoS. They are more comparable to Embrace, who are often spoken within the same breath as Rites of Spring. They are also Michael Hampton's former band, which is quite evident in the guitar sound. One Last Wish, like Embrace, opted for a more clean sound as an alternative to the vicious noise of RoS. This is clear in the production quality, since both band's albums sound much more well-produced to the RoS LP (maybe that's not the greatest phrasing. The RoS album has a much more raw sound, whereas OLW's isn't, I suppose). This is with the exception of the
All Through a Life EP, which is very indicative of where they were going, and an appropriate transition between the RoS LP and
1986. Anyway. One Last Wish, in addition to sounding cleaner and more or less abandoning the sloppy, raw, and visceral approach of Rites of Spring, created a different atmosphere. These songs sound much more positive and uplifting. This is not to say RoS were downers (see: "Remainder"), or that One Last Wish lacked an emotional punch. They just sound brighter. Picciotto's howls are less frequent and more controlled. The vocals are much more melodic and clearly sung. Janney also contributes vocals to two songs ("Friendship Is Far" and "Sleep Of The Stage"). His vocals are quite good, though I personally prefer Picciotto's.
Reading this over, I realize that I'm more or less comparing One Last Wish to Rites of Spring. I'd just like to clarify that they are their own band, and I love them as they are. They are essential for any fan of the whole "Revolution Summer" movement or early "emo" bands (I already opened that can of worms in the RoS post).
2. Burning In The Undertow
3. Break To Broken
4. Friendship Is Far
5. My Better Half
6. Loss Like A Seed
7. Three Unkind Silences
8. Shadow
9. Sleep Of The Stage
10. One Last Wish
11. This Time
12. Home Is The Place
When people talk about "bands before their time" or "forward-thinking bands", RoS immediately come to mind. I can only think of a handful of bands that lacked any obvious predecessors. Not a single band was doing what they were. Their music is faintly rooted in hardcore/punk, seeing as that's where they came from, but they emerged with a sound that transcended that. They retained the frantic energy that hardcore produced, but brought a whole new palette of ideas to the music itself. As opposed to the constant punch of hardcore, Rites of Spring began exploring more melodic sensibilities, exemplified in the guitar work in "For Want Of", for example (or almost any song for that matter). Janney and Picciotto's guitar parts weave together so seamlessly, yet never clearly distinguish themselves as "lead" or "rhythm" players. Whether they're attacking power chords, playing melodic lines in conjunction, or exploding in a fury of noise, they are perfectly intertwined and always original, even in the most disjointed parts. Mike Fellows was an incredibly integral component of this band. Balancing root-note rhythms ("Deeper Than Inside") with beautiful bass lines ("Theme") and assaulting riffs ("End on End"), and using these interchangeably, he added a whole other aspect that wasn't present before. Even the drums went beyond the bass-snare-bass-snare-end and into more technical territory, while remaining equally powerful (Canty is an absolutely brilliant drummer). As a group they were brimming with a passion and intensity possibly even greater than what hardcore brought. Every note, no, every sound that escapes them counts as if was their last (cliché, but true in this case). They're putting everything they've got out there, and it resonates. Their shows have become a thing of legend because of how intense they were, and for their tendency to destroy their equipment in an on-stage frenzy. Which brings us to the icing on the cake (hurray for more clichés): the vocals. I am at a loss for words (cliché #3). Picciotto could howl like no other. He let out shrieks that makes the skin shiver. There was certainly something cathartic to them (and to the music itself) that makes you wonder just where he was coming from, seeing as nobody before (and arguably since) had made such heart wrenching sounds before. In almost every song, he totters between singing and screaming. A melody is still distinguishable, yet always sits on the breaking point in an all out scream, which he does employ. And my, does he employ it well. His vocals, married with the band's unmistakable sound, creates a beautiful, chaotic sound only known as "Rites of Spring". 
However, unlike hardcore, all of this energy is not directed outwards, but rather inwards. This is where the "emotional" aspect spawned. Of course hardcore and punk are incredibly emotional, this is just what they ended up being labelled as. Rites of Spring are cited as being the first "emo" band. The term's origin is unknown, though two possibilities are it was first used at a RoS show when someone shouted "You guys are so emo!", or used in Thrasher to describe the "new D.C. sound". "Emo" was short for "emocore", which was short for "emotional hardcore". The people in the scene despised the term, evidenced by Ian MacKaye's rant on it and Guy Picciotto's famous quote. Unfortunately, they're stuck with it now. Personally, I don't mind the term as a genre, but tend to associate it with American Football and Sunny Day Real Estate-ish bands, as I believe I've mentioned on here before. If anything, RoS preceded screamo, since that was the only thing that came close to their intensity. I suppose post-hardcore is an accurate label too. Or just keep it simple and call them punk or hardcore. Or whatever, labels don't matter. Anyway, they were labelled this for a reason, and that was that their focus was not on external issues, but rather internal ones. Their lyrics were heavily introspective, and touched upon topics such as personal relationships. They were done in a way that made Picciotto seem incredibly vulnerable and open, which was emphasised by his impeccable delivery. It also helped that the lyrics themselves are (in my opinion, as always) some of the best ever written.Their approach to this was completely new to music: shredding yourself mentally and physically to convey a personal and intimate message. And they certainly accomplished this, paving the way for countless bands to follow.
Immediately following their demise, three of their members (Picciotto, Janney, who switched to bass, and Canty) formed One Last Wish, along with Michael Hampton (guitarist from Embrace and The Faith), who's life span was even shorter than Rites of Spring's. They only released one 7" during their time as a band, and recorded an LP that wasn't released until 1999. Their sound was semi-similar to RoS's EP, though wasn't quite as frantic. After the break-up of One Last Wish, the original Rites of Spring line-up reunited to form Happy Go Licky, a radically different band to what they had been doing before. I can't even begin to explain their sound. They, like One Last Wish, didn't last long either. The next band formed with Rites of Spring alumni was this little band called Fugazi, with Brendan Canty and later Guy Picciotto. But they were no big deal or anything. They've been on indefinite hiatus since 2003. Mike Fellows has been involved in numerous projects, though I haven't actually gotten around to hearing any. Brendan, after Fugazi's hiatus, does film scores and is raising a family of four kids, or something. I'm not entirely certainly what Eddie Janney did after Happy Go Licky. I know he contributed some guitar parts to Joe Lally's (Fugazi's bassist) solo albums, but I'm unsure of anything beyond that. Guy Picciotto's been producing numerous records, as well as doing some film work. He also toured and record with Vic Chesnutt before his death (RIP). Oh yes, and he and Brendan were also part of an experimental project called Black Light Panthers from 1982-1997. They released an EP on Picciotto's Peterbilt label (which he created. He also put out joint releases with Dischord for Happy Go Licky's Will Play compilation and One Last Wish's 1986). 
