Racebannon - In the Grips of the Light

The Band's name - Racebannon, was taken from one of the characters on the cartoon Johnny Quest. And this was their second full length by these rock 'n' roll juggernaut released under Secretly Canadian Records in 2002. From the very first notes, you can hear just how unique the song writing is. But I think the highlight of this album is the fact that most of the songs have forsaken a traditional ending in favour of abrasive noise that allows the album to flow from beginning to end.Contains 8 tracks, this album was a sonically saturating blend of Beefheartian spontaneity Melvins-esque heavy sludge, and Melt-Banana-like chaos slapped forcefully through a barrage of distortion, emotion, distress, and dismay. With this album, Racebannon is on a quest to represent the state of Indiana with glorious noise and chaos, spewing geysers of noise as if there were no tomorrow; long stretches of near-ambient rustlings, steely guitar pinging, and primal drumming only serve to ratchet up the tension before they wallop you again.
For you who are fans of Level Plane roster and Off Minor, this one is a must have.

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Arab On Radar - Soak The Saddle

Powerful and cathartic, Arab On Radar represent a unique brand of psycho-neurological terrorism. Listeners have reported seizures, heart attacks, and heightened states of sexual arousal upon repeated use. This "Soak The Saddle" was the thirth studio album by this Rhodes Island Noise Rock act in 1999 ( 3 years before disbanded ) under Skin Graft Records. "Soak the Saddle" CD contains jumbled, blathering, and spastic noise rock coupled with vocals shifting in and out of coherence, rambling on about quirky dirty-sex abstractions and childish dirty-diaper themes. Something that confused me was the title of the songs, they were entitled as numbers, but it was randomised. Though it may be considered punk in some circles to aggravate the listener, it's pretty unpunk to charge people money for it. This relentless grind and screech could suffice as passable garage scrape-core if coupled with an intelligent, provoking singer. The music is driven by the pounding drums, and also two guitars which duel like scratchy, trebly, Bizarro-world versions of Mick Taylor and Keith Richards. The songs don't go on too long, and each one has a new idea, and overall it was a menacing or powerful album with crusty drums jackhammer. Guitars whistle like tea is ready. It's shrill and calculated.

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Happy Flowers - I Crush Bozo

"I Crush Bozo" was the fifth studio album from this Virgina Noise Rock Duo - Happy Flowers which was released in july 1988 by Homestead Records in audio cassette format. First of all, the songs are much more musical than before, with the duo just as likely to perform an actual repeated piece of pseudo-melody as their usual dissonant high-pitched awfulness. The title of the album speaks to that world of childhood fear, as does this entire album. An unquestionable American original, who else but Happy Flowers could come up with songs like "Old Relatives," "My Frisbee Went Under a Lawnmower," "I Saw My Picture on a Milk Carton," and "They Cleaned My Cut out With a Wire Brush"? Yes, Mr. Anus and Mr. Horribly Charred Infant (aka, two nice University of Virginia students named John Beers and Charlie Kramer) scrape and pound and howl like only keen heavy metal fans with a great sense of theater could. This album features several tracks whose concepts are taken to such a deranged, horrifying extreme that you might seriously have nightmares about them (particularly backed as they are by such seasick instrumentation). Well, this was the finest Happy Flowers release available in musical form, if you're into the music, it would be a worth colected album.

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