The Blood Brothers
Burn, Piano Island, Burn
2003
“Do you remember us? / Do you remember us? / We wrapped your corvette in cellophane / Set it aflame!” Blilie and Whitney set the tone of this record with piercing dual screaming portending their defiant, relentless rants. Before this band began wading into more hook-happy dance punk waters they created this convention-breaking hardcore tour de force. This album still has all the ingredients for an excellent hardcore punk record - a ferocious and spastic onslaught of sneer-shrieking accompanied by pandemonium-inducing instrumentation. But what sets this record apart from all the others is the lyrics.
Burn, Piano Island, Burn also manages to craft an interesting hardcore symphony, dabbling in incongruous instrumentation and changing the pace and direction of the album from time to time, but the gold is in the lyrics. I value lyricism significantly and have a love for poetry. But in music I feel it is very difficult for lyricists to stand out significantly over the course of a full album. When initially listening to this album one might think The Blood Brothers are more interested in violently assaulting us than thinking about what their songs actually mean. But on a second listen (which this album requires) and a glance at the liner notes one notices fantastically crafted surrealistic poetry. Just a taste of what you’ll find, the title track has some excellent lines including: “Bulimic rainbows vomit what? / Burn Piano Island Burn! / Coconut pupils never shut? / Burn Piano Island Burn! / Jigsaw babies and their bamboo stills? / Burn Piano Island Burn.”
Ultimately, this record spits in the face of a more tame modern punk community. Instead of lauding and upholding the stereotypes and vacant trends of contemporaries, The Blood Brothers, here are attempting to push into a more nihilistic, subversive and a largely intelligent art form. -R.C.
Is it feasible to believe that a band could form with the strategy of “if we scream loud enough and long enough we’ll gain a following simply because people will think there’s something bigger behind the music?” If the answer is “yes” I think The Blood Brothers just might be that band. This album is one big, long, whiny affair that sounds like a group of 8-year old boys playing Rock Band. Just pure garbage. - Phil
Man, out of all the albums you guys told me to listen to, this was the one I was really hoping WOULD NOT make your list. And it's at #13. Fitting.
ReplyDeleteI figured you wouldn't be fond of this one.
ReplyDeleteHaha, your response is hilarious Phil. Sure, they scream, but c'mon! The musicianship here is undeniable. You may not like it, but it's certainly not unskilled.
ReplyDeleteAlso Phil - did you notice the lyrics on your listens? If not, what do you think of them now?
No I did not notice the lyrics on my listen - I'm not sure how anyone could understand these shriekers.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've seen them, I give them credit for interesting images, but they just seem like random thoughts with no coherence.
Yeah, there isn't always that much coherence, but that's the intention.
ReplyDeleteeh, it's surreal and I dig it.
ReplyDeleteI saw these guys at one of my first shows in des moines. they had a wind machine and a projector that would flash half-second clips of hardcore porno while they were setting up. entertaining to say the least.
ReplyDeletesteve- if you like the blood brothers you should check out orchid. they made my "top 25" list with their album "gatefold." here's the blurb I wrote up:
Orchid Gatefold- 2002
Before being co-opted by girl jeans and Rihanna haircuts “screamo” referred to a movement of bands in the late 90’s who played fast, short bursts of punk- almost like grindcore only with a distinct art rock sensibility. Bands like Angel Hair, Saetia Pg. 99 and especially Orchid took hardcore punk, sped it up, then dropped the anti-intellectualism and mohawks. Gatefold is Orchid’s last release before breaking up. Released after their genre defining “Chaos is Me” and “Dance Tonight, Revolution Tomorrow” LP’s "Gatefold" sticks with the basic formula but pays more attention to song craft and tones down (relatively) the chaotic parts. The disc sticks to Orchid’s formula of “fucking fast” but includes subtle breaths for air on tracks like “Amherst Pandemonium pt. 1” and “Pt.2.” The band coyly references their rabid fan base on “Chaos Aint Me” (lyrics: "your chaos aint me/it's a hat that i put on/and i've worn it for too long") and “No We Don’t Have Any T-Shirts” referring to their refusal to sell merch. Just as essential as the music, Orchid’s packaging has always been stellar. On Gatefold they include short cryptic song “explanations” that frequently leave more questions than they answer, referencing the seemingly purposefully dense Frankfurt School, Guy Debord and the Situationist International. Since breaking up the members of Orchid have gone on to form Panthers and singer Jayson Green has teamed up with some extremely unlikely members of the Fiery Furnaces in a return to late 90’s screamo with his band Violent Bullshit. My friend in high school went so far as to get an Orchid tattoo on her wrist. Unfortunately the band’s flying panther logo was stolen by Orchid from the MC5 and the White Panther Party- another reference to their obsession with late 60’s radicalism. And that, kids, is why you should always check Wikipedia before committing to permanent ink, no matter how sick the tunes.