WE WERE SKELETONS – S/T
We Were Skeletons’ newest, a 32-minute record, is made for fast music fans, for ears tuned less to melody and more to sheer speed; all the catharsis and release not coming from a pinpoint note or melody, but a hard-edged, primal excretion of human energy — the tuning fork of the heart ringing at the flick of the finger of shared experience. The attempt at matching to the worn, tight muscles of enduring the bullshit of life an aurally digestible sound. This is the kind of music to fight to, that inspires things to be broken, flower pots smashed. It is a mover, the kind of sound that demands audience participation.
The songs here are composed of the standard modern hardcore sound; they are more map-of-the-genre than throw it out and find your own way. It is a sure and competent sound, albeit a derivative one. But at 18-20 years old, being derivative isn’t a slight, it’s a compliment. Being able to imitate the best of your genre at that age is an accomplishment itself. The traps of the style abound, however: furious riffs, scraped-throat screaming, intense, hard beats and the requisite breakdowns. This is not a band reinventing the wheel, just greasing it.
(Topshelf Records, 213 State Street, Apt # 2, Northampton, MA 01060)
