Endless howling X and a rant

Just a regular stash of old links bearing some sweet tunes, but I also wanted to use this post as a report of sort. Plus I'm out of things to post so I'm buying some time, hehe.

Ok, so first thing, kinda bad. I'm seeing a lot of my links being just taken away and put onto other blogs without being asked about it in the first place. I don't know, but it kinda pisses me off. Every link I post is uploaded by me, despite bad net connection and other possible web difficulties, and I generally frown when I post a link which is uploaded by someone else. Even when I do that sort of thing it's either because I was asked to do that or because my internet sucked so bad that I couldn't upload shit, both times followed by me at least saying thanks to the uploader. I'm not trying to give myself credit here or some random thing like that, it's just that these blogs are connected to music which is diy and running these blogs is itself a sort of diy thing. If you can't use half an hour (or more or less) a day to upload something or at least write "hey I took this from blog/person xyz, thanks" then you are either extremely inbred or you are a blogrunner who is doing this shit just so you can say that "you are a dewd from a kewl skramz blogzor" and not because you love what you do. This is not about prestige or glory, it's about passion, diy, friendship. If you can't put an ounce of effort into it then fuck you. At least do yourself some good and learn some ethics, you don't go and steal shit from someone.

...So... now that that is out of the system, the point of me saying this is that from now on, all future uploads on this blog will be password protected or I'll be inserting a notepad file into an upload, haven't decided yet. I know it sucks and it's boring shit, but try to understand why I'm doing that.

Onto some good news. Interviews were well received from people who commented and shared thoughts about them, so they will be a regular part of the blog. I'm thinking of possible bands who I'd like to interview, so stay tuned for more on that.

And also, quite a nice thing, I'll be doing a small number of buttons dedicated to the blog with the moth logo. Two sets will be done, one with black background and one with a white one. I wanted to do a new design, but I had no time, hopefully in the future. I'm really excited about that and I'll keep those who are interested regularly updated. Don't know how long they will take to make, but I'm guessing not too long, probably at the end of this month I will have the buttons ready.

One other cool tidbit, there is an amazing gig coming up here, featuring the amazing "Alpinist" from Germany as well as local support "Reflections of Internal Rain" and "Conviction". So be prepared for an event review.

Enough of writing, check out these tunes!

Reflections of Internal Rain - Demo (2005)

Reflections of Internal Rain - Last Flood (2009)

rha. - ep (2009)

Radio Burroughs - The Principles of Hope or Hybris (2009)

Reaching Away - 3 song "demo"

Rosa Parks - EP (2010)

Interview:Chaos Is...

1. First and foremost, thank you for accepting to do this interview. I'm still new to this and I will stay to the classic approach, so please introduce yourself and the rest of the band.

Hi Stefan. WE have to thank you for your interview. So I'm Ianik, 31 years old teenage guy, and I'm the singer of CHAOS IS. We're coming from Strasbourg (east of France, close to the German border). Actually, CHAOS IS are: Bobo and Sébastien @ guitars, Matth @ bass, Simon @ drums .... and me (@ gaaaargle). We're all friends for a long time ... more or less ;o)

2. There is quite a small amount of information on you guys on the web, but the one thing know is that you come from numerous other bands. How did you all get together to form "Chaos is..."?

CHAOS IS was built on the dust of other bands like Iblylom , Noir and Mac Fly & his Space Out Car. We're just 5 friends who want to play loud and fast music together, sharing some ideas and a lot of passion.

3. Is there any chance of activating those dead projects? I remember "Iblylom" was quite a loved band.

Hmmm, I don't think there is any chance to see and hear "Iblylom" once again !!

This band is really DEAD now. Simon is also playing in 3 other bands, Sébastien is playing guitar in another punk band and Bobo is playing and singing in a folk duet. So, we don't have enough time for our past projects.

4. France has always been considered to be on of the cradles of screamo, both in Europe and the world. What are your thoughts on the current French screamo scene?

I don't know if there is (or if there was) a REAL screamo scene in France. If you speak about French bands like Mihai Edrisch, Daitro, Amanda Woodward or other bands, yes, they've been a big part of our screamo scene. But today, I don't know if there is the same passion and the same energy/activity about this. Some screamo emo bands evolved towards something more violent, like CELESTE for Mihai Edrisch, or more "punky" like 12XU (ex Daitro). CHAOS IS just writes songs to share the stage, meet people, see incredible places and playing as much as possible.

5. From the very beginning this genre always had roots in diy ethics. What have been your biggest experiences in that field? What do you think is the biggest challenge for diy bands?

I think recording and doing our split LP with F,W! was one of the most exciting experiences I ever had. I was totally involved in this project, especially for the cover printing. I do some DIY hand-printing, and that was an awesome job to print 400 split covers. Crazy days and nights, a lot of coffee, a lot of emails with Chris and Jens from F,W! and of course a lot of passion!!

But this is the way to be for a 100% DIY project. And having some nice reviews and interest for this Lp is the most important! So, I have to THANK YOU once again Stefan ;o)

6. What do you find to be your biggest inspiration when it comes to making music?

PASSION, DIY, LOVE, LIFE, FRIENDS, SHARING MUSIC, MEET SOME NEW AND AWESOME PEOPLE !!

7. I asked you before about your ex-bands. Do you guys have some side projects now, next to "Chaos Is..."?

Yes there is !! Like I said above, Simon is playing in 3 other bands !! He's playing drums in GERANIUM and I AM JOHN SPARTAN, and guitar in a great german band (POST WAR DEPRESSION). Sébastien is playing guitar in THE BORING, and Bobo is singing and playing guitar in a folk duet called THELMA. I was playing guitar and singing in a postcore band called ATILA, but it's dead now ...

Here are the links if you want to listen to all these bands :

www.myspace.com/theboring

www.myspace.com/thelmafolk

www.myspace.com/postwardepression

www.myspace.com/iamjohnspartan

thebandnottheplant.blogspot.com

8. I am always wondering is what do band members listen to in their free time. Wanna share some of those?

Whaou, there is a lot of music I'm listening to, mainly old "heavy" stuff like Faith No More, Downset, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails, Crowbar, Melvins etc etc ... I'm 31 years old and all these "old bands" are my "teen-music" ... hahaha ... I love them so much !!

But I'm also listening to the old screamo/emo scene (Mihai Edrisch, Funeral Diner, Yage, The Assistant, Ampere, Gantz, Orchid, etc), some indie/pop/rock music (Pinback, Yaphet Kotto, Pretty Girl Makes Grave, The Cure) and a lot of "soul /blues/jazz" stuff (especially Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin,nMiles Davis and John Coltrane).

9. Do you find yourself, as well as the band in general, being under influence of the said bands? And do you find a specific band to be a major influence on your work?

The most influence I have is my life and my own experience about /with human beings !! We can sound like many other screamo bands, but we don't copy them. We're just writing songs and melody, that's all. And finally, this is not screamo, it's just passion and energy !! DIY PUNK ROCK, a bit more violent / speed !! Hahaha, it's so funny to see that bands must be tidied up in a category. Screamo is just a word... Are we really screamo kids ?? I don't think so ...But well, I just have to (need to!?) share all the feelings I have, and I think CHAOSIS is the best form to share and explain my feelings to other people. I just need it to feel ALIVE !!

10. What are your plans for the future as a band when it come to new releases, splits, compilations, tours?

We will take part on a compilation released by friends in Luxembourg. Then, we have to write some new songs (we have already 3 new songs never recorded yet, but put in our live set) and perhaps recording our 1st LP next year (I hope so!!)

We will also try to make a tour with our german bro F,W! in Spain, but we have to see if we can find common dates, and find some contacts/people in Spain who can help us to book shows...

11. Do you guys endulge in some other hobbies beside music?

Yeeep ;o) I have a silkscreen/hand-printing workshop in my basement. You can see my work here : http://www.facebook.com/pages/LES-PRESSES-AMBULATOIRES/351057806458

I'm also writing some short poems, and a lot of shitty words ;o)

Matth and Simon are running 2 labels (Matth = SADDEST SONG RECORDS // Simon = DREAMCOMESTRUE RECORDS).

Simon is also booking some shows with DCT, in our area (Strasbourg), you can find the label on myspace ;)

12. Finally, again I'd like to thank you so much Ianik for taking time and answering these questions. Do you have any final message for the blog, "fans", friends, bands?

So, thank you Stefan for your interest, once again, this is just pure passion and I feel so happy to meet some people like you !! Hope to meet you one day !!!

Thank to all the people who help us, for booking a show, feeding us and listening to our music

and our words. Feel free to write us, this is what DIY PUNK must be !!

SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH, hope everything could be understood ;o)

Love, Passion and Freedom !! Communication is the key !! Take care ...

Interview:Fuck, Wolves!

1. First and foremost, thank you for taking your time and accepting to do this interview. We'll take it the old fashion way, so please introduce yourself and the rest of the band.

First of all we have to thank you for your interest in "Fuck, Wolves!" We think it's great to get a response from a country like Serbia which is not really known for its screamo scene. At this point in time, "Fuck, Wolves!" consists of four members: Sven – vocals; Tobi – guitar; Jens – bass and Chris (me) – drums.

2. Screamo is pretty much alive in Germany, so what are your thoughts on the local "scene"?

It may seem to you that Germany is just one huge screamo scene because there are many screamo bands around, but all in all there are not more than two hands full of bands that are really into it. What I think is pretty cool is that screamo has been playing a role in our hardcore scene for more than 10 years now and it's still not over. Of course a lot of people who were really active back at the beginnings are gone now and a lot of great bands split up or many great venues where you could set up shows had to close. But all these facts didn't stop our motivation to get active and play music which comes from the heart.

Something like a “local” scene doesn't really exist. We have to travel through whole Germany to play cool shows and meet active people. Since I joined the band we only played a few shows in the region where we come from. I think this motivation to get into the car and drive 500 km just to hang out with friends and make music are the ties which connect the German screamo scene close together.

3. And what about the rest of the world?

Puh... difficult question. We've never been out there.

We‘ve played once in France and Belgium which is not really far away from Germany. Our plan was to go to Spain for one week this summer but since we are not really good in organizing things, nothing happened and we stayed at home. But at least we have some friends in Europe, e.g. Adorno from Portugal, Morning Wood from Italy and in Chaos Is from France.

4. Being a screamo band and having diy attitude, what have been your biggest experiences both good and bad? What do you think is the biggest challenge for diy bands?

Diy is a really important topic for us because it's the foundation of realizing our ideas, in terms of our musical life. As I said above, our music comes straight from the heart and when you put effort in your work as a band, the best thing what can happen to it is when it's 100% true. One big challenge as a diy band is the always empty moneybag. Often we play shows without getting money, if you do this more than twice, normal people would say you are crazy but we say money can't buy the feeling of playing a show and having a good time with old and new friends.

5. You guys were featured on the "Dreams Come True" compilation as well as a split with "Chaos is..." from France. How did those happen, are they your friends or did it just come out of the blue?

Before I joined the band the others played already with Chaos Is in Strasbourg. Since then we have been closely connected to these French guys. This is also the story how we got the song “Kopf küsst Asphalt” on the Dream Comes True compilation, with many great bands from Europe. As I said already, after the release of our split LP with Chaos Is and the following tour we were even closer connected than before. In July we both have played a cool show with Morning Wood from Italy in Darmstadt and had tons of fun together. We hope to hit the road with them again soon, maybe next year.

6. As much as I know, you weren't among the founding members of "Fuck,Wolves!". How did you get on board?

I joined the band at the end of 2008. At this time the other guys were together since about one year. At the end of the year 2008 I played bass in a hardcore band called Nihil Obstat. Somehow this band lost it's origin and it's spirit so that we broke up. Sven, our singer, visited our last show of Nihil Obstat and told me about Fuck, Wolves! First I was sceptical because I just finished my studies and started to work, I didn't know how to handle it being at work and play in a band. But two things made me forgot my doubts: 1. since 1996 I always played in hardcore shows and couldn't imagine a life without and 2. I listened to the song of Fuck, Wolves! on myspace and within seconds I had known that I love this kind of screamo. We rehearsed two times together as a kind of test phase and within this rehearsals we made (I guess) one and a half song. When you work with people you really like and get along really well, work can be so productive. In fact we don't play these songs anymore but development is always an important step to improve your ideas.

7. I am aware of your other music project under the name of "Lobo's Son". Do the other members of "Fuck,Wolves!" have some side projects of their own?

Yes, Lobo's Son was a kind of escape when my other bands Katyn or Seven Bowls Of Wrath were at it's end. I‘ve always liked those hardcore bands which combined loud and fast music with silent and emotional acoustic parts, like Suicide Nation for example. I decided to make also music on my own because you can put so many emotions together in one song. You can express yourself much more than writing a personal song in a band, where the other members maybe don't feel the same as you do. Tobi, our guitar player, makes also songs on the acoustic guitar but more for himself. He hasn't released anything yet. Sven, our singer, always dreams of other projects he wants to join but in the end none of them are turning out as a band :-). I'm doing a fun project with two friends which is called The TOC Ensemble. The three of us play old school hardcore songs on our acoustic guitars and play sometimes at parties, which is great fun.

8. Speaking of "Lobo's Son", any chance of you resurrecting that project? You had some amazing tunes written under that name.

At the moment I don't feel like writing new songs under the name of Lobo's Son. I did this over a period of some years and also played with some screamo bands like Danse Macabre, The People Listening Wonder or Jr. Ewing but somehow I was missing the feedback of the people. I released two diy CD's which I never really sold. They are just flying around here at home. I have to confess that I was too lazy to ask distributions to sell the CD. But I don't say that Lobo's Son is 100% dead. I keep this solo project open to start writing songs when ever I have the mood and the necessary inspiration.

9. One of the things I am always wondering is what do band members listen in their free time. Care to share?

There was a time between my old band Katyn (2000-2004) and Fuck, Wolves! when I still loved screamo but not really listened to my Orchid or Funeral Diner records. Currently I listen to a big mixture between hardcore, from old school (Negative Approach, Black Flag) to screamo (La Quiete, Funeral Diner, Orchid, Louise Cyphre...), punk (Leatherface, Turbostaat, Turbonegro...), acoustic (Julie Doiron, Sophie Hunger...), pop & rock (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Milow, Richard Chesse...). It always depends on the mood you are in to which kind of music you listen to. Ten years ago I couldn't imagine listening to other music than hardcore, what was really strange and narrow minded. You should listen to this kind of music which makes you feel good. But to be true, I feel the best when I'm listening to heartbreaking screamo with great melodies and screamed vocals.

10. Do you find yourself, as well as the band in general, being under influence of the said bands? And do you find a specific band to be a major influence on your work?

Many bands make this mistake and start writing songs in the manner of their most favourite bands. As I mentioned already, our music comes from the heart. You can't just make a screamo song without first putting on your feelings. Since we are four individuals which really well fit together, also in context of our musical background, we make songs in our own way. Of course might there be an influence of really old screamo bands like Spirit Of Versailles or newer ones like Louise Cyphre but after all we don't try to copy something.

11. What are your plans for the future as a band, some new releases, splits, compilations?

In the near future one song will be released on a tape sampler of a local record label called Gueldenes Haar. On this sampler there will be some great bands like Comadre or Tackleberry. Just last week we went to our friend Leander of Fargo and recorded three new songs and a special cover song. Those songs will appear in winter 2010/2011 on our new split release with Fargo.

12. Do you plan on doing a tour in the near future?

Maybe we can play some shows together with Fargo when the split record is out, as a kind of a record release tour. We‘ve just talked about it, there are no fix plans yet. As well as the idea of touring Spain and France within one week with our friends Chaos Is. One goal for the future could also be coming to Serbia once. We are always looking for shows, just contact us and we see how we can find the way to you.

13. Do you guys have some other hobbies beside music?

I do some sports when I find the time. But currently it's hard for me because since one and a half year I'm working as a teacher and this is quite a lot to do. Even though I work in school already I have to do some exams. In January 2011 I will be finished and never have to do any exams for the rest of my life, hopefully

From time to time I visit the football stadium to watch my local football club 1. FC Saarbrücken, which made the jump from the 4th to the 3rd German football league.

14. Once again, thank you so much Chris for doing this interview. Any final words for the blog, "fans", friends, bands?

Every time when we play a show and meet people who cook for us, let us sleep in their beds, try to give us their last pennies just to have us at their place, this shows me again and again that hardcore is much more than just music. I want to use this space to say thanks again for all the people who are involved, especially you Stefan.

Chaos is... & Fuck, Wolves! - Split (2010)

Download

I had this release sitting on my pc for quite a long time and now when I think about it, it really confuses me why I didn't share it earlier. Although this can already be found on a lot of blogs, I will be posting this simply because a) I loved it and b) this post will open a completely new addition to what I do with this blog. Got your attention? Please read to the end.

This amazing split is opened by the sound of "Fuck, Wolves!" namely with the song "Control Lives". The said song was also the first track on their demo back in 2008. Some lineup changes and all that jazz that goes with it, brought us a revision of "Control Lives". Now, I'll be honest, I haven't listened to their release between the Demo and this split (the "Es ist Alles in Ordnung...nur in einer anderen" to be exact), but this is so much more musically advanced than the demo. The problem with the demo was the recording quality, a bit too raw sound with instruments sometimes being unbalanced, though it was still great by itself and I really loved it at first listen. Five songs on this release have a perfect sound quality and this part of the split just flows easily through the speakers. They carry with themselves an excellent mix of utter chaos and slow portions with some very interesting bass playing, giving the overall sound an amazing deep tone. It is always beautiful when you get to see a band grow and metamorphose so to speak, "Fuck, Wolves!" being a band that is not only moving forward, but actually sky rocketing and from the very beginning being a project worth mentioning.

After the final seconds of the song "Zerstoerungsmaschine", we are greeted with the sound of "Chaos is...". A bit of drum playing, a few strings on the guitar and then chaos ensues. I haven't listened to these guys in a while and during the first song on this split I instantly remembered why I loved them so much. Energy bursting through every second of their songs, an interesting entity which I could only describe as gentle aggression. Fast, screaming, rending, pounding, drum exploding, but at the same time somehow soft and elegant. I don't know if it's just me, but I think "Chaos is..." really made a sound which is highly unique only to them. Back in the day, when one of my friends sent me their self-titled from 2007, I remember "La Une" being one of the best openers of an album I have ever heard and right now listening to this split it makes me happy that they are still using their excellent recipe for writing songs. "Ce que souffrir veut dire" is my current favorite on the split, since it completely embodies the clash of elegance and aggression which I mentioned previously.

In the end you are left with 23 minutes of superb tunes, brought to you by two bands coming from two different countries that still send ripples around the European screamo boat. And thus we come to the grand new addition to the blog which I am very happy to announce. From the beginning of my love toward these bands and up until now, I have been several times in correspondence with both, occasionally with Bobo from "Chaos is..." and quite regularly with Chris from "Fuck, Wolves!" (which you can also do, since they are quite friendly, Chaos myspace here and F,W! here). And with the combination of their friendliness and my love for their music, both bands took their time and accepted to do an interview for the blog! So, following this post I will be posting the said interviews in a couple of days. I found doing those very interesting and enjoyable, so most probably I will continue doing that in the future (if I get lucky and find willing bands for such a thing) and hopefully you will find the interviews worth your time. Until then, enjoy this amazing split.

Gonzo & Laatste Halte - Split (2010)

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A few days I found myself without music to post, which pretty much sucked. Lucky for me, kurtrip from Lastfm (who happens to be a member of Laatste Halte) sent me this great split. I'm pretty much tired, so if the review is not up to my usual standards, excuse me. Hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

The cool thing about this release is that it is quite refreshing, due to the fact that I haven't heard of "Gonzo", nor "Laatste Halte", both bands hailing from the Netherlands. The quartet playing under the name of "Gonzo" opens this split, with noisy guitar sounds which shortly after explodes with the rest of the instruments, but with quite a deep and heavy tone. They pack a unique mix of various genres at moments sounding a bit like screamo and hardcore, as well as smacking you in the face with some sludge melodies. Even after the first listen I think I could recognize their music, their tone being very raw, distorted and chaotic, a sort of brooding and abysmal feel is omnipresent. The second song is on a bit higher level, not as much deep as the first, but still quite heavy, with the guitar playing a constantly repeating sequence from the second third of the song until nearly the end. Vocal performance is interesting, something between a scream and a growl, but sounding quite distorted giving you a feel like it's being splashed all around you.

After about five minutes through the split comes the sound of "Laatste Halte". This three piece dutch screamo project was first known under the name of "Lewd", changing the name after one year since formation. I have to be honest that I am not familiar with their former work, but the name "Lewd" is awfully familiar to me. By the way, "Laatste Halte" is a name of a song by the legendary "Shikari" and it means "last stop". So anyway, after Gonzo's "Perfect Fit" song comes Laatste Halte's "De Lepelaar" with the sounds of drumsticks hitting one another followed by the guitar bearing a classic 90's screamo tone. Where "Gonzo" mixes genres, these guys play pure screamo, but a vast number of influences could be noticed, spreading from bands such as "Louis Cyphre" and "Danse Macabre" to some Australian bands, but with a lot more chaos and almost no distortion. As you might conclude from the mentioned bands, their tracks are fast and rending accompanied by lots of (group) screaming, but recorded completely clear and you can enjoy every bit of the songs without trouble.

It is a bit hard making write-ups for split releases, especially when you don't know the bands, since they only throw at you a few songs. But despite that both bands impressed me and should definitely be followed for future work. Track them down on their myspace pages, "Gonzo" being here and "Laatste Halte" here. Enjoy!

Endless howling IX

It's been a while since I posted one of these. And at the moment I'm out of new stuff to post, to be honest, as well as the fact that I'm involved in some other writing based projects and it really takes it out of me.

By the way, I love "Osceola".

Nikad - Nikad

On the Might of Princes - Sirens

Osceola & Monarcs - Split (2008)

Osceola - EP

Pianos Become the Teeth - Old Pride (2009)

Polina - EP

Caravels - Floorboards (2010)

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Before I opened this blog, 90% of the time I used to just fulfill the requests of people on what to post. It was kinda cool, since someone always wanted something, the bands were always good and I ended up always having material to keep the previous blog alive. With this blog however, I changed my approach a bit. First of all, the blog was "owned" by me alone which enabled me to put more of myself into reviews, the writing becoming more personal. And for some reason, the style of band selection changed as well, since no longer do I pick the bands, but rather bands turned to pick the blog. I don't know how that metamorphosis happened and why, but it definitely opened new vistas for discovering music. Establishing a close connection with the artists whos music you are to write about really makes its imprint on the review, especially if the first contact is a friendly one.

Why the long intro? Well a bunch of times I encountered bands who make excellent music, but people are jerks, which takes away the passion the music is trying to get to the audience, at least for me (luckily no such bands on this blog, proud of that). And dear "Caravels" here really attracted me with how friendly they were at the first contact. It is amazing when someone says nice things about the work you do and when they recognize that you put your heart into it. So this review will be a sort of thank you for the recognition they showed.

"Caravels" are a quintet hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada bringing us tunes fused with elements of post-hardcore and early screamo. Personally, I find the combination of the said genres rater dull and plain, since many bands with such a mix of influences never really caught my ear. Hard for me to say why, basically I find it without that something that makes you go "wow". Well, shame on me for pressing play on Caravels with those thoughts in mind, because they pretty much impressed me!

"Floorboards" brings us 6 songs with a total of 25 minutes of music which you listen to with one single breath. They ooze with the thing I said I miss in the specific genre combination, a chest pounding and adrenaline pumping twenty five minute monster. You just press play and let it flow right to the end, not for a second wishing that some part wasn't there or that it lacks certain bits and pieces. Epic buildups, explosive crescendos, tune drops and slow bridges, everything is present but nothing is out of place, a perfect composition model. The production is superb for this type of music, since we are talking about quite loud, chaotic and "vast" tunes, so here you get to be able to focus on those various elements in the songs, because the recording has a clear sound despite the chaotic nature. This virtue actually cleared the way for me to notice some things that really blew me away. I myself being a bass player really notice that in many bands bass is in the shadow of other instruments. Either it's not very "alive" (despite the genre, be it sludge or screamo, no matter) or it is purely swallowed by the other sounds being produced by the band. In the tunes of "Caravels" it is a completely different story. All instruments are very well balanced and each of them is excellently discerned during songs. The bass itself amazed me quite much, it is highly melodic and has a powerful deep sound which really adds various levels and layers to the music. It is active and omnipresent, a very strong plus in my book.

As a contrast to the deep tone of the bass, the drums have a dull (not dull as in boring, dull as in blunt) sound, which contributes to the instrument equilibrium I mentioned above. And continuing on that, the guitars are actually somewhere between bass and drums, a bit of a mid field, rending and buzzing riffs, completing the circle. The vocal, I must be honest, didn't fit my liking at the first moment. I am quite much used to hearing screaming at various pitches and sections featuring "spoken word". Here it's a kind of constant raspy voice, somewhere between talking and screaming/yelling. Once I actually analyzed the songs, I really saw how this specific vocal performance goes perfectly with the music of "Caravels", simply because while you listen you can almost see them play. A scene where the vocalist is standing and literally preaching and storytelling while the entire ambient around him explodes with chaos and aggression. This ability to almost generate a visual aspect is really inspiring. And since I am mentioning the vocals, I definitely have to add the fact that the lyrics of "Floorboards" are simply amazing and you should absolutely read them, they add quite a bit of something to the overall tunes.

So in the end you come to realize that you are introduced to honest people making really heartfelt tunes. And it comes down to this, that this type of music was always about the community, people being connected by the thing that drives their passions. I'd like to thank Mike for contacting me and for showing me his band, it is really a project worthy of time and support.