Colin Gillespie (left) of Greys (photo: Mathew Morand)
We asked Colin Gillespie, bass player of Toronto, Ontario noise rockers Greys, to review eight unmarked songs from our Rice and Bread Magazine new release coffers, then got his reaction when the songs were revealed. An impressive amount of musical knowledge and some hilarity ensued.
SONG #1
Gillespie: Okay, here’s something a little out of my element. I mostly hear music like this, which I would erroneously call “yuppie-grindcore,” in the kitchen where I work. I mean, sure, it’s heavy, I guess, but I kind of shrug off metal/punk that sounds like it was completely constructed in an expensive studio. Like, the guitar sounds like someone’s just finger-drumming on a sampler with a single guitar-blurt setting. Isn’t it more “brutal” to just pay some drunk dude in a shed $50 to record your album through one microphone?
The reveal: Misery Index - “Thieves of the New World Order” [Ministry cover medley] bonus track on The Killing Gods (Season of Mist)
Gillespie: Intriguing. Ministry is back in spades with the self-referencing “death-grind” crowd. They’ve earned it.
SONG #2
Pretty pummelling riff to begin. Oh, wait. I’ve actually been listening to this album for the last two weeks straight. Young Widows are pretty much one of the most continually compelling “loud noise” bands in recent years, not including the almighty Swans. I originally thought this was a pretty weird choice as a first single, but it’s grown on me a lot. It’s dark as fuck. And the whole outro, with that one squealing bent note, is probably the coolest single-note hook since Converge’s “You Fail Me.”
The reveal: Young Widows - “Kerosene Girl” from Easy Pain (Temporary Residence Limited)
That was painfully easy!
SONG #3
The first impression I got was golden-age Green Day, which is completely acceptable if not a little off the pulse of today’s FIDLARs and Perfect Pussys. I think the kids would describe this as “bouncy.” It’s like this song was written during George W. Bush’s presidency, forgotten, and is now being dug up in some Captured Tracks retrospective. The next logical step following the ’90s grunge revival would be early ’00s Cali soda-punk. Seriously though, I think the last 10 seconds of this track are lifted from Insomniac.
The reveal: 7 Seconds - “Slogan on a Shirt” from Leave a Light On (Rise Records)
Having never heard 7 Seconds before, it wasn’t that bad. Having never to hear 7 Seconds ever again; not that bad either.
SONG #4
Alright, let’s get some horns in here. It actually started out as some Contortions slow-jam, and now has stumbled into a lounge-y Strokes vibe. British accents, fake or no, are a pretty solid career decision. It’s cool. I feel like the free jazz squeals in the background kind of distances itself from the whole league of Arctic Monkey clones. Wait, except for this bizarre Moldy Peaches rap thing in the middle. Oh, okay, here’s the obligatory reference to a “crack-smoking mayor,” and now she’s talking about getting your stomach pumped because it is overflowing with… uhhh, is she old enough to talk about this stuff on record?
The reveal: Pink Mountaintops - “North Hollywood Microwaves” (featuring Annie Hardy from Giant Drag) from Get Back (Jagjagwuar)
I kind of lost track of Stephen McBean since that second Black Mountain album; it’s pretty crazy to hear him in this context. Sorry, Annie Hardy, I just can’t play this for my mom. Good luck, though.
SONG #5
This starts off pretty promising. It’s like they have a checklist of Husker-Du-isms, and they x-ed the boxes up with beer puddles. I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but I’m having trouble coming up with interesting things to point out/poke fun at. Good work, everyone?
The reveal: Junior Battles (also from Toronto) - “Every Town” from Rally (Paper + Plastick Records)
I always meant to check this band out at home. If I come across you at another show later, I promise I won’t leave.
SONG #6
It’s pretty much set in stone that songs starting with harmonized feedback can’t be all that bad. It sounds like Damian Abraham from Fucked Up fronting a stoner-y rock band like Burning Love or Windhand. Groovy. It’s not really gelling with the summery sunshine-orgy that’s going on outside my window right now, but who’s fault is that?
The reveal: Eyehategod - “Parish Motel Sickness” from Eyehategod (Housecore Records)
Well, we just keep knocking bands off my “always-meaning-to-check-out” list. It wasn’t that far off from what I imagined them to sound like, but I’ve imagined it for at least the last six years.
SONG #7
Alright, DevilDriver! Kidding. But it seriously has some strong Robert Zombie-isms in the verse. The chorus is a different animal entirely, like a Maiden-aping Panic! at the Disco. I would probably say that of all the songs so far, I am most curious as to who this turns out to be.
The reveal: Prong - “Turnover” from Ruining Lives (Steamhammer/SPV)
Alright then.
SONG #8
It’s catchy! It’s got the panicked tempo of early screamo stuff with its vocal footing planted in Bon Jovi arena rock. Set that vocal reverb to Molson Amphitheatre setting! I don’t know who it is, but I imagine it’s popular. But what do I know, eh? Eh? Hey.
The reveal: White Lung - “Just for You” from Deep Fantasy (Domino Records)
So that explains why White Lung is so popular. I can also see why they’re on Domino. All good.
Greys‘ If Anything is out now on Carpark Records worldwide and Buzz Records in Canada.
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