FCC Clean – but track 22 has “pissing and puking behind the machines” at 2:20 (not sure if this rises to the level of an FCC, but wanted to mention it)

Overview: This album is twenty-two tracks of that veer from dissonant noise to hard driving punk to post-punk to hard rock to a brush with ballads to the depths and back. This album cuts, crushes, screams, shreds, and mangles its way to some truly great stuff. From what I found on the inter-tubes, this album includes over twenty contributors, including members of Nada Surf, Wilco, and the Swans. The vocals have that just-barely-off-key quality between shouting and singing and the instrumentation is a well-controlled (or sometimes-controlled) chaos.

Influences/similar bands: The Stooges, Minutemen, Fugazi, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, and yes… The Sex Pistols. I also detect a little Beck (the sparse, low key, acoustic Beck).

Favorite Tracks: (*) 16, 12, 14, 18, 19, 4, 9, 21
1. Over and Done 2:30 – OPENS WITH A SCREAM! Crunchy distorted guitar, crashing drums, wild bass line, and talk/scream/sing vocals drive this tune to the edge.
2. Feeling Warsaw 3:14 – Slower groove but still lots of crunch and distortion; half-scream, loopy vocals and swirling guitar dominate.
3. Oh Memory 3:31 – Bass and cymbals open this track; stays sparse; wobbly slightly off-tune vocals; low-key introspective vibe; dueling guitars make an appearance in the last minute.
4. * Demolished Ernie 2:34 – Driving guitar and bass kick this off; much more pop-oriented that the first 3 tracks; feedback and dissonance make an appearance; a nice off-kilter pop offering.
5. Tenderloin Submissive 1:07 –Chirping insect sounds and lazy, muffled guitar; dual vocals sing/speak the lyrics.
6. Most Cunning 2:16 – Channels a beat poetry backed up with sparse bass, drums, and dissonant strings.
7. Cool It Conditioned 1:56 – Back to the punk; distorted crunch and driving rhythm; half-screamed vocals.
8. Melina Pedestrian 2:37 – acoustic guitar and light touch on the drums; a ballad-like offering; much softer than preceding tunes; I get a Beck vibe here (the slower, melancholy Beck).
9. * Trees 5:44 – Drums, and crunched out guitar with lots of feedback; Stooges and Circle Jerks come to mind here at first; then the song goes into slow heavy bass-laden dirge; tension builds back up and wild guitar takes over as the tempo surges; controlled chaos ensues.
10. Torch 2:05 – Soft bass with heartbeat tempo; spoken word vocals come in as dissonant feedback swirls and spirals in and out; acoustic guitar riff punctuates to the end.
11. Casket 2:26 – Straight back to crunchy guitar/punk; semi-sarcastic vocals over a mid-tempo thrash.
12. *** Into Your Activities 2:03 –Jamming bass line opens up and an organ makes an appearance; driving drums pound out a marching rhythm; organ plays out the tune; this one got me out of my seat!
13. Beware the Drill 2:41 – Swirling guitar and half-scream vocals hover around the melody but don’t hit it straight on; drums and organ propel the cacophony; guitar riffs layer in for the last minute.
14. **Northeast Kingdom Vermont 4:42 – Acoustic guitar strums slow and melodically at the intro; scratchy voice and ethereal background sounds come in; grows more and more into dissonance, loudness and a bit of chaos; very angst-ridden; I like this one!
15. Mentor Screws 5:55 – slow, plodding crunchy bass and guitar intro; drums crash in the background and keep a somewhat steady droning beat; warbly often off-key talk vocals with intermittent screaming; plods and plods along becoming more and more discordant but never changes the pace; a despondent tune to darken the mood; Dead Kennedys in slow-mo.
16. **** The New Creations 4:17 – warped distorted guitar lead-in with plucked tune (of sorts); seem like it’s trying to find the song; suddenly transitions at about 1:10 to faster, more upbeat tune with jangly, feedback guitar and vocals; then it REALLY kicks it up at 2:30 with great energy and almost pop-like hooks; play this one – it is worthy!
17. Psyche Hang-Gliding Accident 1:02 – talk vocals and discordant plucky guitar; another somewhat slow-paced dark tune.
18. ** Open 2:55 – bass and drums are forward on this one; more funky and playful than many other tracks, but still has the discordant vibe; a solid tune.
19. **Histamine Bunker 3:00 – driving, relentless pace; industrial sound to this one; talk/scream vocals; keeps charging along, gritty, loud, and hypnotic; another recommended track – this album is turning out to be pretty great.
20. Shot From Behind 3:37 – a more standard hard rock/punk pace and sound; lots of distortion and crunch with some intermittent electronic zaps; pulsing drums and cymbals; keeps pounding and pounding to the end.
21. * Marcy Havemeyer 3:00 – sudden start with vocals bass and distorted guitar; bass lays down a groovy vibe; this tune actually has a legitimate break and chorus (not all songs do); verges on a pop-song structure, but way more gritty, raw, and discordant.
22. Slowly Down Clifton 4:45 – slow intro with what sound like an electronic keyboard chord; piano, bass and guitar enters abruptly; discord is introduced with the vocals; has one of the few instances of backup vocals in the chorus; the slow pace maintained throughout; “pissing and puking behind the machines” at 2:20 – not sure if this rises to the level of an FCC, but wanted to mention it.