Psychic Blood-Autumn Curses CS (2012)

Psychic Blood returns for another round of guitar savagery on their follow up to last autumn's debut EP, "Strain." If you dug that, you'll probably enjoy their full length.

"Visions" picks up where "Strain" left off: heavily distorted, clanging guitar bashes it out with echoey drums, the result falling somewhere between something off MBV's "EVOL" and a Nirvana b-side. "Annihilator" is built around a cascading guitar riff worthy of J. Mascis, although the guitar is mixed at the same level as the drums, so it isn't quite as, well, tyrannically monolithic as a typical Dinosaur, Jr. track. Psychic Blood demonstrates its understanding of the importance of texture with "Roving Mind," a quiet tune with humming, electronic white noise that's almost dreamy. It's effective in setting the first two headbangers apart from what follows, the chaotic "Here is no truth," which could've turned up on one of those old mid-80s SST comps with stuff like BLasting Concept or St. Vitus.

The rest of the album follows the same dynamic, alternating between towering guitar blitzkrieg bashing and downed out noise weirdness. The band's developed their sound a lot since "Strain," and this is worth a careful listen. Check out tracks from the tape on Psychic Blood's soundcloud, here. Damage Mailorder is distributing the tape, out on FeebleMinds Rex-buy it here.

Sex/Vid-Nests (2009)

These'uns were the HC community's favored wank material a few years ago, and I remember, around 2008, wanting to hit the next person who told me that if I liked Void, I'd like Sex/Vid. This sort of reductive, "new product A sounds like old product B, and thus is approved listening in our cult-scene" mindrot is a disease all music fans are prone to, music writers in particular (myself included); perhaps it's unavoidable, but it's certainly undesirable and mentally deadening.

"Nests"' howling guitar riff quickly builds into a raging whirl, but then around thirty seconds, the momentum slams to a halt and morphs into a grinding dirge-then the riff jumps into hyperspeed, and throws you across the room, only to slow down again a few times. It's remarkable how well Sex/Vid uses the fast/slow dynamic to trick you out of complacent listening, and the song reminds me of PiL's "Memories", in its startling, effective change in tempo.
"Exorcism" is a bit more standard hardcore, but "Always Home" is a funereal spiral of tormented guitar, relentless drumming, and barked vocals. It's actually pretty close to a certain Ann Arbor band's song about the desire to be a canine, really.
Sex/Vid is one of maybe four punk bands (with Tragedy, Giant Haystacks, and Pink Reason) from the '00s whose music not only does not bore me years after first hearing them, but which actually rewards close, repeated listening.

Knock that fucker off the wall! then, check out this remarkably intelligent piece on Sex/Vid. The "Nests" EP is probably out of print, but write (yeah, write!) the folks at DOM and they might have copies left: Dom America, PO Box 2066, Olympia, WA 98507, USA

*EDIT, 9.20.12: Re'up'd the file, here. *