Self Defense Family : " Colicky"

This ever evolving collective of musicians has been around for ten years. Their newest release finds the more slow core- pacing of what I have previously heard from these guys gone  in favor of a more sonic creeping. The drumming is not heavy or heard hitting, but is very deliberate in more of a Joy Division like fashion. The vocals are lighter and more introspective than the brooding tension the rest of the song stirs. The guitar sounds are once again top notch. The production is just right reminding me of some of the more classic post-hardcore albums of the 90s. The vocals are more emotive in a Neutral Milk Hotel manner on "All True At the Same Time". I don't think this song has the same urgency of the first.

The bass line to "it Isn't very clear, is it?" slinks in to show you what Fugazi might have sounded like without a straight edge past. The guitar is wonderfully layered over this drone of bass. The vocals settle into the background behind it all. Normally I would complain that this never evolves into an actual song, but it goes to show that you can break the rules and my expectations if you do something well enough. The vocals constrict into an angrier grimace on the hilariously titled " Brittany Murphy in 8mm". This comes closer to hard core, without having to kick into the traditional jams associated with the genre.  At 7 minutes this also serves as the album's longest song. The bass player once again carries the weight of the song on their four strings. The guitars split the difference between melody and noise, proving you can have the best of  both worlds. The drums get serious here in a way that reminds me of the build on Jane's Addiction's "3 Days" .  Rather than giving the you pay off of formulaically rocking your face off they instead go for a fade out that might leave you with blue balls. I will give this one a 9, because even though the album sounds great and these guys are evolving their own sound, it begs to ask the question at this point...is it perfect? I think the quirks that keep it from being perfection in my book have already been mentioned above. I think this is really fucking good and if you are a fan of post-punk more than likely better than any other new band you might here today with the exception of say the new Merchandise, whose song writing was just tweaked above and beyond, where these kids hold tight to experimentation and being less painted into a corner. They keep getting better so I am going to keep checking Self Defense Family out. This album comes out tomorrow the 9th.