Customer Reviews

Awesomer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Blood on the Wall is a trio that plays like The Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Minutemen, and a touch of My Bloody Valentine. Basically, they're all of your favorite alternative bands from the eighties and early nineties all mixed up into one complete, but surprisingly unique, package. Awsomer, which is their second album (get it?), tears through fourteen songs in little over a half-hour. There's not an ounce of fat on this set. It's kind of like that guy that shows up to your party with a purpose. He makes a b-line straight to the refrigerator, downs your best beer, takes a few shots, trashes some furniture, and is gone. You'll never see him again.

I'm a sucker for bands with two singers, and maybe that's why I've fallen so hard for this album. Courtney Shanks has a rhaspy voice in the vein of Kim Gordon that'll make you think of black lights and musty smelling smoke. Ben Shanks, on the other hand, has a perfect mania in his voice, and makes the songs sound as if they could disintegrate into cacophony any second. I imagine some wild eyed berserker with veins popping out of his face.

There's at least one song under a minute, and at least five others that are under two. It's enough to give you wiplash. These terse little snippets are addictive, and like your favorite crack dealer you'll be coming back again and again. I think the real secret to writing a short album is make it so addictive you can't help but listen to it twice in a row, and Blood on the Wall have accomplished just that.

There are also a few "pretty" songs. "I'd Like to Take You Out Tonight" is the longest song at three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. It recalls Jesus and Mary Chain, and is a perfect little eye in the storm. The closer naturally slows things down as well, and even features a -gasp- piano.

Blood on the Wall are smart enough not to beat you until you're numb, and even some of the harder songs have a more deliberate marching tempo. My current favorite song of the album is "Mary Susan." It features a perfect sing-along chorus backed by a great turning bass line. I've already decided this will be the perfect drinking song for when I become an alcoholic.

I'd write some more, but I've already held you up too long when you should really be buying this album.

I saw that this album only had one review on Amazon and just had to rectify the situation. This is one of the better albums of the year. The kind of music that you scream to in your car while pounding on your steering wheel. The chick is like Kim Gordan done right. The guys has an obvious crush on Frank Black and might, just might be able to out scream him. If not on this album, then perhaps on the next. If you like innovative punk that dabbles in pop, you must own this album. The Shanks (brother sister duo) might just be the most musically relevant sibling since the Carpenters. But, just to be clear, they rock a lot harder.

Let's face it; if you're a New York band that's got a woman bassist with a husky voice, singing over deafening guitars, you're going to sound like Sonic Youth, and be compared to them. It's unavoidable. Sadly, what Skeet Ulrich is to Johnny Depp, Blood On The Wall are to Sonic Youth.

Too bad. They get off to a good start with "Stoner Jam," which has a "grey fall day in the East Village" vibe. The problem is, nothing else really distinguishes itself.

The majority of songs are just short, fast and loud. You can get away with that if you're The Ramones, and pack loads of hooks and melodies on top of all the #$@$-kicking guitars and drums. But there's nothing here to pull you in. It's just "hi, bye" and that's it.

"Awesomer" is around the same length as a bad TV sitcom. And about as much fun.

these guys sound like the pixies. to me, thats a good thing. this album has some good songwriting and interesting bass/guitar interplay. i thought the lyrics were too basic at first (seems like they wrote em in 5 minutes) but i got over it and you will too. the last song is a nice change of pace and a good song too. i like the change of singers every other track or so, helps keep things from getting stale.

if you like this you might like mclusky, pixies, raveonettes, jesus lizard, nirvana, and death from above 1979 just to name a few.

It's becoming quite bothersome to me when I purchase records that I hear so many good things about, but fail to deliver. I've heard nothing but good things about both the BOTW records so I purchased them. I can't convey how mediocre these albums are. It's straight-up hipster music made by hipsters...for hipsters. No depth to the songs what so ever. They're probably not junkies but they try very hard to sound like them and the music would probably sound good if I was shooting smack. But I'm not. It's one thing to rip off your elders and influences,thats fine. But at least write good songs if you're going to do that. The vocals, especially the male vocals, are so abarasive I find myself just changing the song it's so unbearable. There are a few decent songs, mostly the ones sung by the sister. I wish there were more honest reviews out there. This is not groundbreaking...its not even melodic or remotley interesting.