Customer Reviews

Red & Clear

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

 

 

Scott Hobart- Guitar, Vocals, Lyrics
Byron Collum- Bass
Paul Ackerman- Drums

Active from 1993-1997

Giant's chair is difficult to describe. Historically, you might place them in the whole Midwest emo/post-hardcore rubric. I know that's a loaded term, so let me explain.

When I say emo/post-hardcore, I mean the cultural values that came out of the punk emocore movement: authenticity, highly personalized lyrics, which are often abstract, poetic, and reflective. Scott Hobart (vocalist) has a wonderful vocal presence, I think mid-range, who usually resorts to yelling (no screaming though), but his approach never comes across like a cheap gimmick, but as a preferred mode of expression.

Catharsis is highly regarded value as well. And Giant's Chair is no exception. Many of their songs, especially "New Orleans" and "Mother Brother Sister Lover" and "Gunshot and Jogger" epitomize this musical element by using an abundance of dissonant melodies and counter-point to build tension. At some point the tension SNAPS and a new anthemic melody is brought to the fore, providing a sense of release that can be emotionally powerful for some.

Giant's chair is quite adept at this, and what makes them more amazing is their ability to couple this character trait with what sounds like a very technical guitar and drum style. I have heard this technical style described as "angular."

I suppose if "angular" were meant as irregular changes in rhythm, time signatures, strangely placed rested, and so on, then I would say yes, Giant's Chair is has a very angular and even jagged sound, but not so much that listening is a chore.

Indeed, among the thousands of songs I have on my computer, theirs are quite a unique treat. Highly recommended.

p.s. If you like this album hunt down their other album "Purity and Control." It's not AS good as "Red and Clear" but it is still VERY admirable.

i became aware of giant's chair's "red and clear" album about a half a year ago when its cover caught my eye on someone's listmania entry on this very site. i then searched the internet in hopes of finding a track to sample. it took me a few tries on a few seperate occasions before i eventually got a hold of the premier track "new orleans". i took an instant liking to the song and soon purchased the album. i must admit a few listens passed before i got a feel for the entire album, but once it hit me, it hit hard. now i can't believe what i've been missing all these years.

all i know is i grew up in a scene where giant's chair was already cherished and established in their (my) hometown of green bay, wisconsin. upon the band relocating to kansas city and myself off to school, i have lost track of the band and any new acheivements. "red and clear," however, still satisfies my appetite for giant's chair even after owning it what is going on almost six years. their shows a legend, this album is as close as one can get to the days when they played kutzka's hall in green bay. powerful, infectious, antagonistic; "red and clear" will not disappoint. also check out their split 7" with boy's life.

This band has been overlooked for to long. A guitar oriented, rough edge progressive band, they use unusual time signatures and rich, sometimes dissonant chord textures to create great musical tension. If you like intelligent music but are not afraid of emotional power, check these guys out.

An amazing and intense album from a very talented group