HARPOON - Deception Among Birds CD
Seventh Rule Recordings
Genre: Post Rock
Rating: 2/5
These days bands sometimes telegraph everything with their names. So when I first saw the name HARPOON I immediately thought that they were going to be another battle metal band. You know what I'm thinking, instead of vikings or pirates this time it's gonna be whalers playing power metal and singing about life on a whaling ship, Moby Dick, etc. Thankfully this wasn't that in fact by the end of the first song I was thinking, Chicago post rock three piece. As it is HARPOON are a three piece act out of Chicago who have been annoying people with their brand of post rock for a few years now. Actually their sound is reminiscent of that mid-nineties post (choose one: rock, metal or hardcore) explosion which I lived through. Supposedly their 2009 debut, Double Gnarly /Triple Suicide, received high praise. My question is from who, Chicago Douchebag Free Weekly? Seriously about halfway through this release I turned down the volume thinking some friends might pop over unexpectedly and were able to hear this outside of the house. I could imagine their looks of surprise on their faces all wondering if I had moved and some indie rock losers were now living here. Yes people back in the 1990's indie rock losers were sucking ass to anything "post" when it came to heavy music. Maybe that Whaling Metal idea wasn't so bad?
Speaking of which I thought this band was supposed to have some grindcore influence as well as hardcore. What there is consists of plenty of emoting as in "I'm screaming therefore I'm emotional." Toss in some jangly drone for which represents their sensitive side. Yes HARPOON they're so sensitive especially when they're discordant. If you need to leave the room to throw up then go ahead because it's only going to get worse. The release opens with "To The Tall Trees" which is not bad since the song has some chunky power to it be it post hardcore and all. But from that point on their attempt to knock you over with pseudo blistering power has been stripped. The second cut "Prequel to a Lifetime of Disappointment" set the tone for the rest of this release. There are a few times were HARPOON hint at excitement, "Troglodyte's Delight", for example. As the release moves on they try to draw down some hardcore influence to cuts like "The Cut of His Jib" and the aptly titled "Shit Wizard". I've known people years ago who would beat up a band like this for calling themselves hardcore but played this stuff. I'm serious one guy I knew is in jail doing hard time, not for beating up a band of course. He beat up a cop. The cop shot him which pissed him off so he beat the guy senseless until more police showed up and stopped him from killing the cop with his bare hands. Maybe I should send him this HARPOON CD.
Label: http://www.seventhrule.com/
Sorry folks no video for HARPOON unless you want me to post one from the Harpoon Blues Band from England which was the only vid closest to the search. Then again maybe you don't want to hear it.
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