![]() is some exact continuation of Dreamdecay rather, Cruz Gallego is trying to work out similar ideas and energies. The end result is J.R.C.G.’s AJO SUNSHINE. Cruz Gallego got a chance to retweak the formula. Late last year, in a kind of revisionist manner, Dreamdecay’s Justin R. Seattle’s Dreamdecay released one of my favorite LPs in 2017-okay, favorite’s a slight misnomer while YÚ is 35-minutes of compelling, blown-out psych-punk wrapped in a sturdy coat of ramshackle ambient, it doesn’t quite mesh all the way, and you’re sort of left to appreciate the two sides of the LP separately. ![]() įavorite Songs: “Rainbow,” “Lowrider,” “Holy Hope” On the other hand, friendship, love, and aging all make for fine topics when the music rips this hard. Insulated from the world at large, LITTLE GREEN HOUSE is a haven to live with our interpersonal conundrums, no matter how trivial. Cohesion and relatability are the driving forces here. While it remains to be seen whether or not they can expand the breadth of their lyrical themes beyond the heartbreak and chaos of young adult life, the album isn’t bootstrapped by the age-old questions it explores. ![]() They wear their hearts firmly on their collective sleeves (if you couldn’t guess by their name) and are leagues beyond their years musically. With the hardcore community behind them in spirit and influence, Anxious have struck a defined niche without alienating proponents of the heavier flavors of the genre.Īnxious is a hard band not to root for. Pat Flynn of Fiddlehead even cosigns their iterations on the genre through his guest vocals on “Let Me,” a chugging storm of a track with similarly capricious changes in intensity. As the tone shifts, angst gives way to angelic harmonies in the last quarter of the track, while lead singer Grady Allen shrugs towards peace with the reluctant truth, “No one’s to blame / We both have changed.” Despite Anxious’s altered formula, Allen is not shy in calling the hardcore scene his home. The opener “Your One Way Street” is propelled by an open chord riff that could fit snugly onto Dinosaur Jr’s BUG, followed by frenetic syncopation that’d make Ian MacKaye blush. They can pull off Beach Boy “ba ba” harmonies on a song like “Wayne” and follow it up with the aggressive “Speechless,” all while embodying the same sentiments: growing up is hard and artists should be afforded range.Ī breakup/coming-of-age combo record requires its fair share of somber downtempo catharsis, but LITTLE GREEN HOUSE is best when it’s speedy, and transcendent when individual cuts skate the chasm between extremes. Anxious’s aversion to scene worship is paradoxically why they’re one of the most important hardcore-adjacent bands right now. ![]() They have no qualms with pulling from disparate places, and for good reason. Power pop and indie staples like Fountains of Wayne and Death Cab For Cutie intersect with the understated complexity of The Beach Boys. ![]() Writing for the new record, guitarist and backing vocalist Dante Melucci immersed himself in the music of his childhood. Stylistically, the line from 2019’s NEVER BETTER to LITTLE GREEN HOUSE is weaving. Swap fellow Connecticut resident Chris Teti of The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die into the booth and graft some of the post-hardcore edge of Anxious’s debut EP, NEVER BETTER, onto the melodies and you’ve got LITTLE GREEN HOUSE, my answer to sibling nostalgia envy. Now in my early twenties, during a period dunked on by Run For Cover Records, it’s logical that they would be the vessel for Anxious’s crisp pop-punk romp through the softer side of the double-kick hardcore scene that birthed the band. The unabated palm mutes and glitzy grime of Mark Trombino’s production fell on deaf toddler ears. Only two years out of the womb, I wasn’t afforded the opportunity to strut around a pre-9/11 college campus to Jimmy Eat World’s BLEED AMERICAN like my brother was. It’s our Bandcamp Picks of the Week, featuring Anxious’s wise LITTLE GREEN HOUSE, and J.R.C.G.’s sprawling AJO SUNSHINE!įavorite Tracks: “In April,” “Growing Up Song,” “Speechless,” “Call From You” ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |