By Andrew McNally Columnist
Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth
Grade: B
Beach Fossils do not sound like most of their light and spacey peers. What separates Beach Fossils from Local Natives and the like is a dependency on distortion, like Fleet Foxes with Thurston Moore. Although they may never be louder than the average Smiths track, their use of distorted music over pretty rhythms makes for a gleefully jarring listen. Like most albums by these indie pop bands, every track starts to sound too similar as the album falls into background noise. Still, “Clash the Truth” almost keeps its head above water because of its unique sound and intentionally rough transitions.
If You Like: Cults, Best Coast
Pissed Jeans - Honeys
Grade: A
What’s a noise rock band to do when its members grow up and join the workplace? For Pissed Jeans, the answer is “get even angrier.” The band’s fourth album is unapologetically raw, inspired by the rough production quality of 80’s punk and post-hardcore bands. The quicker songs are loud and abrasive, the slower ones are painfully gritty. And lyrically, the men have a newfound source for spite: the workplace. Tracks like “Cafeteria Food” and “Health Plan” deal with the pains of a real job, a serious progression for the once humorous band. “Honeys” is Pissed Jeans at their best yet..
If You Like: Black Flag, the Jesus Lizard