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This weirdly disturbing sleeve comes courtesy of Ben Cook, one of the/lead guitars that make up the band 'Fucked Up'.I've been listening to that Whats Your Rupture' latest Year of the Rat 12", and I don't even know where to begin...it's a new direction for hardcore in general that's for sure. It takes some time for me to get past the Mighty Bosstones style vocals...everytime I hear this guy I think of that 'ever have to knock on wood' song...god dammit, now it's stuck in my head. It's that hardcore voice that's been smoking non filters for years, and he's angry, hasn't slept in days, and probably is thirsty. LIstening to it is like someone yelling at you for 15 minutes. I'm not saying I'm not angry...I have my moments, but I tend to put something else on at the end of the day, call me old.Young Governor is going somewhere else entirely, this is working with all the garage punk stuff that's been happening lately. Bands like Tyvek, King Khan, Hank IV, Cheap Time. The guitar is the lead...the focal point of the tracks, simplified vocals that just have to sound good hung all over the crunch fast tempo distortion. Kind of a blues distortion..it's almost Shellac in guitar tone on the virginia creeper track, that kind of sound that is so distinctive, really gated, all overdriven, almost turning into it's own unique instrument. It's not a guitar anymore. Combine all this with the garage...short punk where the vocals are just a little distorted, the drums have this perfect room sound that's really deep, maybe eq-ed deeper after the fact...or just boosted to the point of hiting the red. Very reminiscent of Ty Segall's solo release...it's really similar...this Virginia Creeper track anyway. Mostly it's really illuminating to hear this individual voice from that enigma known as Fucked Up. YOUNG GOVERNOR is Ben Cook (FUCKED UP, MARVELOUS DARLINGS, NO WARNING, VIOLENT MINDS, etc.), and this is his debut solo record. "Virginia Creeper" and "I'm a Mess" were laid down by the Governor at East End Reclusives, in Toronto, Canada, a dumpy practice space responsible for an impressive amount of recorded work in recent years. Although more pop-infused than the hardcore stylings of Ben's present/past, Young Governor solo is arguably as raw and unpredictable as anything he's done, if not more so. The needle-pegged, hyperactive pop of "Virginia Creeper" and "I'm a Mess" offer a glimpse of the Governor's 2009 agenda, and frankly, teasers don't get any better than this. Pressed on beautiful lavender vinyl with a full-color sleeve (layout by Matt Wong), limited to 750 copies.It's 5.50 from plastic idol records.
Another single is coming soon on Static shock also...maybe march.
F#cked Up - Crooked Head b/w I Hate Summer 7" (Matador)
I just started reading about fucked up and how they have embraced the 7" 45 format, as a tribute to early punk days of releasing a few songs at a time, or if you were lucky an EP of 4, 2 1/2 minute songs, xeroxed sleeves with some politically charged photo...all anarchy. I think I kind of caught this vibe a little bit from the limited contact I had with Fucked Up. So I'm expecting this single to be real hardcore, fast, unintelligible to my untrained hardcore ears...but there's a lot of melodic elements...the chorus of these 3 guitar power chords. It's pretty close to Les Savy Fav at times in energy and experimental leanings.
The vocals are definitely hardcore, the half hoarse yelling, sort of Fugazi at times, very aggressive...this has to get violent at live shows. I'm looking forward to finding out Jan 20th at Market Hotel .....should be interesting...and with the Vivian Girls no less....they continue to surprise me.
The name wasn't going to help them either. As much as you might remember it, it's going to be turned down from as many distro places, shops...christmas lists. But then again...if we're going punk, let's go all the way, maybe we'll be a footnote or end up as influential and groundbreaking as anyone in the last 10 years as far as this genre is concerned.
The A-side Crooked Head...let's just say this guy Mike is an animal, the only thing that can sing over the sound of guitars all coming together in this mess of harmonics...high layers of chords that sound like a synth, or orchestra for christ sake.
The B side ' I hate summer' starts out as some kind lounge sounding bass driven soft core and then explodes. This is always changing...it seems like a accessible, but still sincere direction for a band rooted in hardcore. This is a direction everyone can get behind...and imitate.
I think it's going to take a while and a lot of singles to get a handle on this band, I know I have a few others I've picked up here and there just from hearing them mentioned constantly. I've been waiting to sit down and dig in.
The mythology going on here is pretty intense, the ultra limited editions of vinyl, the guy from Final Fantasy recording string arrangements. They played for 12 hours on the bowery, jamming with the guy from Vampire Weekend among other guests. I'm probably not telling you anything you didn't know, but putting all these things together for the first time...I'm overwhelmed.
They seem to want to confuse as much as break ground. One minute a whistling solo, the next writing fake tour diaries.
Mike Haliechuk sounds like 3 guitars, they can be some kind of emo at times even, basically saying anything you think you know about us is wrong.... we are going to surprise you constantly and you are either with us or against us.
They don't have a myspace...makes sense, so this will have to do.
Go get it from Matador records. Along with the Year of the Pig Japan/US/ and UK edits along with their double LP. I think this is how I'm going to have to do it eventually....all at once.
