LADDER DEVILS - Forget English CDEP
Handshake Inc/Grindcore Karaoke
Genre: Indie Rock
Rating: 2/5
Not only did this come in self described as indie rock but there were also the promo quotes "Remember when Indie Rock bands were actually loud? When ‘alternative’ music actually broke the rules?" To answer your question NO! Indie Rock bands were never loud but they were annoying and as far as that rule breaking idea, forget it. Lets cut the revisionism bullshit here shall we? Any real rule breaking bands were part of some other genre or music scene that the alternative snobs decided to latch onto and call their own. Indie Rock or Alternative music was a nice little term that the taste makers in the major media and music industry coined in order to get college radio losers on board. Just like they did with New Wave. Basically you had a bunch of bands/artists who were not punk or metal but were very watered down versions of both. You could call them "lite" versions because they hated punk and metal and they would be pushed by the alternative music media who were really fronts for the mainstream media, who were just making a buck on the latest music fad for college age youth. Remember MTV? Yeah right like that was really alternative.
When Scumfeast was a print fanzine back in the 90s I was pointing out how indie music was a complete joke, with ideas stolen mostly from the punk rock scene which too became a complete joke as well, with the exception being the underground stuff our zine covered. Before Scumfeast I was writing for other fanzines saying the same thing as soon as the "alternative" (alternative like everyone else) sham exposed it's ugly fuckin face. Now as far as this band goes I'm really surprised that this release would come into SFM666 especially with my "now infamous" along with "well documented" hatred for all things indie rock and hipster which are basically one in the same. I'm not calling this Philadelphia band a bunch of hipsters. I will say that back in the 90s Scumfeast Fanzine used to get a 7"er per week by bands who sounded similar and it was all indie rock. Big fuckin deal if you're noisy and the vocals are a collaboration of band member screams.
Forget English is a five-song EP reminder of why indie rock was and still is a soulless husk of noise and non-descript college rock bullshit for coffeehouse worms to consume. I'm sure these guys are all real nice clean cut individuals, who don't hang out in bars and love their mothers but so fuckin what. The only reason I don't give it a zero, which as far as this thing goes musically it certainly deserves, is because the labels which co-released it are cool and respectable. Hey I've got a question. Remember when indie rock died and all of it's fans started liking it's replacement, Alt. Country? The promo material even mentions "For fans of Archers of Loaf, Drive Like Jehu and Hammerhead." Look here's some more truth for ya. To this very day you can go into any used record store here in the greater NC Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and still find a bunch of releases by Archers of Loaf. The only people who liked that band were the local music writing scribes of the free weeklys. They sucked! They blew! Drive Like Jehu were another noisy joke and Hammerhead were never an alternative/indie rock band.
Label: http://handshakeinc.com/
Label: http://grindcorekaraoke.com/
Bandcamp: http://ladderdevils.bandcamp.com/
Without knowing the band your reviewing or having any particular affinity for "indie" music, I'm going to have to take issue with your entire opening paragraph. It's fairly clear you have no idea what you're talking about in regard to this particular topic.
ReplyDelete"Any real rule breaking bands were part of some other genre or music scene that the alternative snobs decided to latch onto and call their own. Indie Rock or Alternative music was a nice little term that the taste makers in the major media and music industry coined in order to get college radio losers on board. Just like they did with New Wave."
This is total bullshit. Grindcore, to name one example, is a term lifted from a description of Swans music. One would have a hard time not seeing their effect on bands like Neurosis or Godflesh, or even late period Celtic Frost.
No disrespect to your blog, but I seriously hope you're not trying to promote the idea that metal is the only source of originality in music, or that every genre that's not metal is a watered down version of it. This whole tr00er than thou thing is not only pointless, but it stifles discussion and factionalizes an already small group.