Anyways, there is this band I have seriously been losing my shit over for a couple weeks now. They have described themselves as "post-apocalyptic Vaudevillian punk" and I agree. I would also throw in post-prog-math WHATEVER, mostly because there are no adequate adjectives for this band.
Genres aside, 31Knots will make you want to rip your skin off and flail about in a bath of your own blood. The songs are beautifully constructed and they are nothing short of enthralling live. As I previously mentioned, we stumbled upon this precious northwestern commodity (way more valuable than buffalo meat on the Oregon trail!) at UCSD's Che Forest Sewage Collective. We showed up late (thanks for being full of traffic, I-5...) to see Joan of Arc and I was sold the moment I heard 31Knots' front man, Joe Haege (donning a crappy Satan mask), howl "hey you," from the first non-sampled line of "Sanctify" (from their 2007 Polyvinyl release "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere"). Haege, sans Satan mask, swiftly snaked his way into the middle of the crowd in his Pee-Wee Hermanized Southern preacher-man suit, mic in hand and commanded the attention of the entire room. All eight of us. No, I think there were more people. Maybe 14. Regardless, I would really love to see these dudes shred it at the Casbah and I'm not just saying that because the Casbah has Arrogant Bastard. MAKE IT HAPPEN, SAN DIEGO!
This here youtube video is a live recording from some show I wasn't at that for the most part maintains the audio integrity of "Sanctify:"
31Knots really uses technology to their advantage- samples are obviously present yet their presence does not take away from their live performance. Recording-wise, the samples add a pleasing, quirky yet serious depth. They also use good old-fashioned musicianship to their advantage, bassist/sweater connoisseur Jay Winebrenner and drummer/engineer Jay Pellicci throw down their share, contributing both to the balance of the live show and powerfully supporting the chaos that lies in the recordings. Lyrically, Haege brings a delightful amount of snark with the storytelling, which is undeniably a breath of fresh air from the sad-bastard crap the kids are into these days.
I managed to procure the "Polemics" EP as well as "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere" at my local record store (I'm not saying which one, I don't need any of you night prowlers coming up to me asking me for autographs) and am very pleased with both acquisitions. "Polemics" is aesthetically pleasing despite the fact that it won't play in my car (life is rough, obviously) and is an overall good album. "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere" is definitely the mind-blower for me and "Compass Commands" from the upcoming Aug. 19 Polyvinyl release "Worried Well" is more than promising.
"Hit List Shakes (The Inconvenience Of You)" is another standout track (you know, aside from "Sanctify") on "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere"- though lacking a traditional discernible "breakdown," I feel like the song picks itself up at around 3:48 to serve you your own pretentious ass on a tarnished silver platter. The volume definitely needs to be up to 11 for the last half of this song. Which reminds me, does anyone want to hire a now 3/4ths deaf audio engineer? HAH just kidding! This is officially the second post I have made a joke in! I digress. Going all the way back to the beginning of the album, one will find "Beauty." No, seriously, that's the name of the song. it's a good'un. Here's the video:
existentially yours,
'stina.
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