Jorge Arana Trio & Ambulants Split 7" Bridal Horse Records 2013

Jorge Arana Trio & Ambulants Split 7" Bridal Horse Records 2013 NO CAT #

Picked this up as it had Paul Malinowski's name on it, he did the mastering. Figured it'd may have that 90's Kansas City post-hardcore sound with his name being on it. In addition to Malinowski's name on the sleeve, the packaging is well done, almost too well done. Really thick cardboard 7" sleeve, that may keep things too tight as the record was pretty scuffed coming out, but it plays and everything looks great.

Jorge Arana Trio, for this release isn't really a trio as it's credited on the back to another player or two. Their one featured song, "Dagger", is a dark, moody, instrumental post-rock experiment with a violin playing way too much of a role. The intro makes it sound a lot like an obscure emo band called Sweep the Leg, Johnny, but the aggression tones down quickly and the band flirts around with jazz structures.

Ambulants provide the b-side with two songs, "Washed Ashore" and "Dweller". These tracks definitely borrow from 90's KC bands like Boy's Life and Shiner. Very choppy start and stop dynamics, but slow moving. To the point you think the mastering was off if wasn't for the vocalist's falsetto coming out on top so clear.

Overall, solid 7" and well worth the $5 it'll put someone back.

https://ambulants.bandcamp.com/

Boy's Life/Giants Chair Worn Thin B/W Ever Present Split EP HitIt! Recordings 1995

Boy's Life/Giants Chair Worn Thin B/W Ever Present Split EP HitIt! Recordings 1995 CAT#HIT-09

This 7" is so Kansas City...well, except Giants Chair had Wisconsin roots before attending KCAI and HitIt! Recordings was based out of Chicago...but, other than that, you can't get more Kansas City than this.

The bands were both torch carriers for the early, post-hardcore emo sound coming out of Kansas City in the 1990s. Boy's Life took their out of tune guitars and Dischord-esque style a bit more national because ultimately, they were on a better label than Giants Chair. The song "Worn Thin," is a perfect example of the band, strained vocals over the top of so much guitar.

Giants Chair stayed a bit more hidden than Boy's Life nationally, but their sound was equally as influential. The track "Ever Present," displays the band's attacking style. Everything up front, all at once before they take a step back and dismantle the song before bringing it all back together again. It's high energy and stands well on it's own in the context of this single.

Equally as Kansas City about this 7" is the sleeves were done at Hammer Press. The simple, elegant design make it worth every bit of $3 you probably had to pay when it was first released and the $20 you'd have to pay today.

Split 7"

Shiner Starless Private 2000/2015

Shiner Starless Private 2000/2015 NO CAT#

This album was originally released as a CD on Owned & Operated Recordings in 2000. It was the third album in the Shiner catalog and I remember having it and being bored by it. I had loved Splay, tolerated Lula Divinia, but didn't have the patience for this album.

Looking back, I was in college when it was released and trying to understand complex subjects in class, I didn't want any complication in my music. I was feeling the lo-fi scene featuring Pavement, power-pop of the late-70's, and punk rock. I didn't have to think about that music, that stuff was plug and play. And, if I did have to concentrate on tunes, it was at KJHK and by the year 2000, post-hardcore had run it's course in the college radio scene. I just thought I had to have some sort of persona. I used to like Shiner, but couldn't anymore. They were like Rush at this point, way too old-man rock.

Looking back, I'm a bit embarrassed by that version of me. I had lot more of my own pretensions than this album has. Sure, it's math-y and each song is like an equation that only makes sense upon it's conclusion, but, its got a lot of depth and emotion to go along with it. Listening to it now, I get why they were big in Chicago and signed to a label owned and operated by post-hardcore darling, Jawbox frontman, J. Robbins. It's cause they were pretty great.

This new reissue was put out by the band themselves, vinyl only on blue/white splattered vinyl. The colored effect does go well with the original artwork which is greatly enhanced by the size of the cover. The pale guy in the suit and crown standing over a skyline looks much more grand staring at a LP jacket versus squinting at the old CD liner. Got to think Shiner may be able to get the rights to give the same treatment to Lula Divinia and Splay at some point. The doors are closed at DeSoto with Dischord only paying attention to the Jawbox catalog. I'd hope J. Robbins is a cool enough guy that he'd just let Shiner do what they want if asked.

SHINER - STARLESS

Giants Chair Hot Boy Caulfied Records 1993

Giants Chair Hot Boy Caulfied Records 1993 NO CAT#

This, in the history of obscure KC related 45s, is up there at the top of the list. At the time of it's release in 1993, Giants Chair was still holding fort in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They hadn't come down to the Kansas City Art Institute and weren't well, art-damaged yet. This 7" is just some kids trying to make a record.

The songs featured here, "Commoncold" and "Weed Roses" aren't as filled with left turns and all the indie-rock tendencies bands draw themselves into. It's not better or worse for it, it's just a little more simple than what they'd go onto to do later. It's still aggressive, still has start-stop dynamics, but it's a clearer where they were taking you on the tunes. Also, on a side note, Giant's Chair was never an "emo" band, they came before it, but man, this sounds super-emo, especially "Weed Roses."

Hot Boy 7"

Season To Risk Mine Eyes B/W Why See Straight Columbia/Red Decibel 1993

Season To Risk Mine Eyes B/W Why See Straight Columbia/Red Decibel 1993 CAT# CS7 74888

Somewhere in the late-70's 45s became terribly boring and featured songs that were available on a full-length LP. Both tracks featured here were on Season To Risk's self-titled debut. While a 45 is cool for the completest, this isn't that necessary.

Both songs sound angry and dated today. There's that Jesus Lizard megaphone singing, which in 93' was still kind of cool, now it just sounds cliche. Letting "Why See Straight" stand by itself is kind of fun, though. There's some cool moments and ideas, the band gets a little lighter on the chorus harmony, showing they weren't always so metal about everything. "Mine Eyes" was an attempt at a single, it played around here. Sure it got love in other spots, but again, sounds dated now-a-days.

Mine Eyes

Shiner Molly McGuire Split Crush B/W Exhaust HitIt! 1994

Shiner Molly McGuire Split Crush B/W Exhaust HitIt! 1994 CAT# HIT-03

Pretty great local 7", featuring two of the finest from KC's post-hardcore scene, Shiner and Molly McGuire. It was pressed on virgin vinyl and serves as an early example of both groups.

Shiner's "Crush" is slow-moving, but has tons of crunchy guitar. It's a bit repetitive in the beginning considering their later work, but it's still got plenty of math-rock charm and takes you all over the place soon enough. Molly McGuire's "Exhaust" opens incredibly with guitars coming in from everywhere. It was early in the band's output and is lot more straightforward than later work, it doesn't try so hard. Just solid in-your-face guitar rock, a bit alterno, but it's cool.

The release was also early-on for the short-lived Chicago HitIt! Records. The sleeve has a great DIY aesthetic as it's just a silk screened onto a cardboard fold-over.

Black Calvin Postcard B/W Be With You HC 1994

Black Calvin Postcard B/W Be With You HC 1994 No CAT #

Black Calvin is another local much like Zoom, great band, but almost completely unheard of outside Kansas City and Lawrence. The was a three piece featuring Craig Comstock who is still very much active today in local music. He also started up the HC label the band released for and managed to release a Black Calvin 10", a split 7" and a local hardcore comp before giving the label up.

Black Calvin played a brand of post-hardcore that wasn't too far removed from other locals of the early to mid-90's. They were a lot more lo-fi and punk rock about it. The first track, "Postcard", is a 5 minute punk-rock, sludgefest. The B-side, "Be With You", picks things up, but stays just as noisy and discordant with crazy guitar lines and shifting tempos.

The tunes were recorded in Lawrence, KS by Ed Rose. So despite the band's lo-fi aesthetics, they still valued qaulity, so much so, the 7" was pressed onto virgin vinyl.

Season To Risk Self Titled Big Money Inc./Red Decibel/Columbia 1993

Season To Risk Self Titled Red Decibel/Columbia 1992, 1993 CAT# BMI 040

Re-listening and looking back, this LP hasn't aged well. From the ironic artwork to the trendy metal production styles, it just reeks of the early 90's. But, sometimes nostalgia is great. The memories that surround this moment in Kansas City music history for outweigh it's dated style.

The album is a bruiser, though. It's aggressive and mean. It's angry and loud. It's been stated here before, but at the end of the day, it's a shame this brand of post-hardcore with heavy metal aspects didn't beat out bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit to dominate the teenage aggression scene. Season to Risk is far more intelligent and were far better musicians. They just came on the scene a bit too early, the kids that would have been prime for this hadn't gotten to age where they would now how to handle this.

The album doesn't lack highlights. "Mine Eyes" was a solid single. The final song on the LP, "Reminder," is a great example of the band's aggressive style. "Why See Straight" is also a bruiser. The song "Scorched" has some nifty guitar work and is a fantastic take on noise rock. The rest comes in moments, there are times when they stay in places that contemporaries like Failure, Handsome and even the legendary Jesus Lizard perfected, but Season to Risk end up getting too heavy metal. They use a megaphone to sing through a lot which is a nice 90's effect, but it does wear thin. Overall, it's worth it for the memories, if you heard it as a teenager, you'll want to grab a skateboard or go jump stairs on in-line skates, whatever your extreme sport was in the early 90's.

Reminder

The Life and Times Lost Bees Slimstyle 2014

The Life and Times Lost Bees Slimstyle 2014 CAT# thin0080

I don't do year end of lists. First, because I'm sure there's something I'd miss and second, because I can't afford enough new records to make an accurate judgement to begin with. Regardless, this is one of my favorites out of the few things I did pick up from this year. It's Shiner-esque power, ultra-mathy beats, and focused sound is spot-on throughout this LP. When you think it gets a bit too Radiohead-y and pretentious, the band just crashes down on drums and guitar, when you think it's going to get to 90's for you, they drop in enough electronics to keep it interesting.

Unfortunately, I think this album is going relatively unnoticed. Sure, the band appears to have the zine-famous thing down. The reviews are decent and there's always a mention of Allen Epley's Shiner work. But, I don't think it's going to be given the chance to set the world ablaze.

Truthfully, this band is now too old to be cool. Seriously, Shiner was like 20 years ago. It's like the Police in 1978 trying to fool everyone into thinking they were punk. The kids looked at them and said they were too good at their instruments to fit in. That's just as true with The Life and Times, they're too good to fit in. They're too proficient, they're too talented, and they got way too many cool tricks to be fitting in with the young, indie-rock crowd. The kids can't keep up with this, it's got dad skills (you know, the way your dad can beat you in 'HORSE' on a basketball court).

And that's probably just fine. Leave this for the Shiner fans and anybody with an open-mind. They're the ones that deserve it.

Ice Cream Eyes

Be/Non S/T 7" Turnbuckle 1997

Be/Non S/T 7" Turnbuckle 1997 TB-006

If I'm not mistaken I think this was BE/NON's first legitimate release.  Think they did something small locally, but this was the first backed release.  New York's put out this 7" along with two CD's from Lawrence's BE/NON all before the new millennium.

This early presentation of the band certainly presents a group in tune with Kansas City and Lawrence scene that surrounded them.  There's plenty to compare to the likes of Boy's Life and Shiner.  However, that's likely just to being around town.  The band's real focus was the noise rock coming from the likes of Sonic Youth and Jesus Lizard.  This is a loud and noisy 7".  There's also a clear nod to prog-rock sounds of the 70's, but the only the deep cuts, this is evidenced by the band's absurd song titles.  The 7" features 3 tracks, the impressive "Microsurgical Vasectomy Reversal," the 20 second or so, "Stripping Gears," and the attempt to be spacey and epic within their noisy confines, "Cllaw Use in the Autumn Years of the Twentieth Century."

Either way, solid local 7".  The early CDs aren't half bad if you're into digital.

Giant's Chair Purity And Control Caulfield 1995

Giant's Chair Purity And Control Caulfield 1996 CAT# CR022

Had to hustle for this one, man.  This cost more than I'd like to admit, but it's so worth it.  A year after Red And Clear was released the band put together this album.  You can find abundant praise for their debut, but for whatever reason, Purity And Control, likely due to it's scarcity, doesn't get the same amount of mentions.  However, the obscure post-hardcore and emo blogs that do mention the album are high on it.

Despite the lack of info surrounding the release, those that do cite it are right to highly regard it.  Purity And Control is much more focused and dynamic than it's predecessor.  Moments on Red And Clear can sound a bit scrambled and overly excited.  This album as it's namesake suggests, is controlled.  The band doesn't run off on tangents and keeps it's focus.  The main reason the band is cited as emo pioneers is due to what you hear on this recording.  It's still jagged and edgy, but, Hobart's does throw down some emotive vocals.  Further, the band builds into the dynamics rather than employing start/stop dynamics (mostly, they don't abandon it completely).  To point out more emo cred, long before it was vogue and when Conor Oberst was 15 years old and just brimming on genius, Giant's Chair recorded tracks at Whoopass Studios with AJ and Mike Moogis

The album was primarily recorded in KC.  Hammer Press did the jackets, vinyl just shows the braille pattern, if I'm not mistaken the CD liner has actual braille type you can feel across.  The song "Ballad of Jody Hamilton" brings light to this artwork as it is a spoken word piece about a blind writer, it's pretty Velvet Underground-esq and has nothing to do with the word emo.  All told, it's a phenomenal album and highly recommended if you can track down a copy.  Even the CD is non-existent so below is a link to the full album, I don't think the band will mind at this point.

Full Album

Boys Life/Christie Front Drive Split 10" Crank! 1995

Boys Life/Christie Front Drive Split 10" Crank! 1995 CAT# CRC005

Another KC Crank! release, this one featuring emo sweethearts, Christie Front Drive, who are from Denver...and great, but makes little or no sense to discuss their tunes here.

The B-Side to this EP features early works by Kansas City's Boys Life.  Both Christie Front Drive and Boys Life went to Omaha for the tracks to be recorded and were produced by AJ and Mike Moogis.  Midwestern emo scene in it's early days as the Moogis brothers would go onto to do things with their hometown label, Saddle Creek, namely, Cursive and Bright Eyes.  Boys Life would set influence, Christie Front Drive's work would go onto to help define the scene (see the song "Valentine" on this EP).

This early stuff by Boys Life is a bit more melodic than the stuff they'd later do on their full length.  Still chaotic, just not as outright DC as the debut became.  "Sight Unseen" is incredible.  The song "Homecoming" shows the band noodling around with out of tune guitars and time shifts, it's not perfected here like it would be later and it loses the listener in the end.  "Two Wheeled Train" is a bit slow and spends too much time figuring out what it should do.  The band's ideas are here, they just needed Mark Trombino to focus them on their best attributes which he was able to do on the debut LP.

Another KC tidbit, the sleeve is screen printed and designed as a fold able jacket.  It was done by Hammer Press in Kansas City, which was a former college roommate of the guys from Giants Chair.

Sight Unseen

Molly McGuire Heart 7" Hitit! Recordings 1994

Molly McGuire Heart 7" Hitit! Recordings 1994 No CAT #

Molly McGuire is another Kansas City band to grab a major label deal in the 90's.  They first gigged regionally and on tours with Kansas City bands like Season to Risk, Shiner, and Rocket Fuel is the Key.  Released a few things, including this 7" and one or two for Caulfield.  They then inked a deal with Epic and released the album Lime in 1996, but with no "hit" song were quickly dropped (members have nothing nice to say about the experience).  They did a final album with Hitit! before disbanding.

I don't currently have a copy of Lime to refer to, but, I remember it being a bit dull and not as aggressive as Season to Risk and not as mathy as Shiner.  Kind of an in between in terms of the 90's KC scene.  The songs here, "Sisters of the Sacred Heart" and "Gutter Ball", are in that realm.  A little more flair than the major label stuff, but quaint in comparison to other groups.  Not quite as challenging as Shiner, not as metal as Season to Risk.  They're just kind of there, hanging out, causing no problems.  It's a fond memory of a great scene, just not one of the major highlights.

I would like to revisit Lime, that album was produced by Failure's mastermind Ken Andrews.  Failure was not a KC band, obviously, but in terms of post-hardcore, that's the top of the list.  As stated, when I had a CD back in the day, I found it boring.  However, maybe years have treated it good and maybe I'm not as big of douche and can finally enjoy something with a bit more nuanced.  It was 1996, though, I also remember the album being a bit too derivative of the current rock scene and a few steps away from the KC thing in favor of the mainstream thing.  Nevertheless, trying to track it down, it did actually come out on vinyl and is fairly priced if you can find it.

Old link to a Kickstarter project for a new album, what's up with that?

Reflector Where Has All the Melody Gone Status Recordings 2000

Reflector Where Has All the Melody Gone Status Recordings 2000 CAT # NINE

This is the only full length LP available on vinyl from Kansas City's Reflector.  Despite being the little guys in town, they do a solid job of filling out an entire LP.  I tend to enjoy their Prelude to Novelty album a bit more, but both full length albums are pretty interchangeable and represent the band well.

This one was recorded by Alex Brahl and it shows.  When the Shiner guys recorded the band, they may have overstepped the band's ability, I mean, they were just a three-piece and while they owed obvious influence to that band, they weren't writing math rock songs.  Brahl was able to calm the band down a bit and not lose that KC post-hardcore sound that the band was built around.  Previous efforts by the band felt tense and bottled up.  Brahl was able to soften some of the edges and even got the cello thrown in as a backdrop on a tune.

They even managed to get some soul into these tunes, not that it's dance-able, but the band was getting away from the discordant Slint-dynamics they previously relied on.  The first song, "Spell" is prime example, a midst the starts and stops, Jake Cardwell was able to catch a steady groove that moves the song.  They still got intense, the song "Alice" is a monster despite it's ballad-esque beginnings and ends with a slow moving segue into an actual ballad and the last song, "Flowers," which is one of my personal favorites from the band.

Spell
Flowers

Shiner The Egg DeSoto/Son Of Man 2012 (Repress)

Shiner The Egg DeSoto/Son Of Man 2012 (Repress) CAT #SOM-002

People love this album and swear by it.  However, when it came out in 2001, I could have gave a shit less.  1996, I thought Splay was one of the greatest things I had ever heard.  High school age boys love angry rock music and that fit the bill.  I remember being excited to get my hands on their follow-up, Lula Divinia which was released in 1997.  However, the glow of Splay started to wear off quickly.  The songs become incredibly long and pretentious, shoegazer moments mixed in with odd time signatures and even stranger song structures.  There was nothing immediate on Lula Divinia so you couldn't get sucked into all it.  By 2000 when Starless came out, I really didn't care anymore.  I believe I picked up Starless cheap in a used bin and was even more turned off by it than I was by Lula.

I had completely moved on and forgot about Shiner when The Egg came out in 2001.  I never even picked up.  Then, several years ago I became obsessed with collecting all the locals I once listened to in the 90's on vinyl.  Since then, I've been searching feverishly for a copy of Splay.  I still haven't found it, but last year while searching the internet for it, I discovered that Son of Man did a limited vinyl pressing of  The Egg for the band's reunion tour.  At this point in my local vinyl obsession, I wasn't just trying to collect favorites, I was just obsessed with finding any local artist on vinyl, so I needed this.

Not knowing too much about The Egg, I read up on it pre-purchase.  Damn, if it isn't widely considered the band's masterpiece.  Anxious and worried that the hype was going to ruin this LP for me, I was pleased upon the first listen.  Everything is so crisp and perfect on the album, there are moments that are immediate on it, namely the song "Top of the World," which could easily be mistaken for a Sunny Day Real Estate tune or a Radiohead tune, depending on which aspect you focus on.  But, even at first listen, you sense the band's direction on the LP, there's a definite groove and feel surrounding all the songs.

For the last year or so, I've spun this more than most albums I own.  Every time you put it on, you pick up something new, a nifty guitar riff buried in the background, a reprise to a previous song, a shift you didn't fully grasp the previous spin.  The band had clearly figured it out on this album.  Inevitably, it's still very pretentious with all it's shifts in song structure, but they found a way to make it more accessible.  They focused their efforts on creating a whole LP and experimenting throughout its entirety rather than trying to cram every good idea they had into a single song.  It's an amazing album, complex, and more rewarding after every listen.  If more people would have been listening to it when it was released, it would have reinvented and reinvigorated the then played out angular post-hardcore scene.

Truth About Cows
Top Of the World
Pills

Season To Risk In A Perfect World Sony/Red Decibel 1995

Season To Risk In A Perfect World Sony/Red Decibel 1995 CAT#RdB95006

The more I get into this project, the more I realize just how cool KC was in the 1990's.  I've always been in love with the stuff from Lawrence, KS, but the more I look at it, KC in the 90's was where it was at.  Not Charlie Parker Jazz-era cool, but pretty incredible.

Season to Risk were among the leaders of that era.  I always kind of brushed them off as a bit too metal, a bit to jock rock.  But, after digging into them more, they're intelligent, they use odd time signatures, and the only difference between them and their more indie-friendly counterparts, Shiner, is that Season to Risk used a far more aggressive approach.  In the end, the bands shared members, played shows together, and were leading the KC scene together.  People talk about Lawrence and how it was supposed to be the next "Seattle" in the mid-90's.  But, KC trumps the college town and had a more defined sound.

Shiner, Boys Life and Giants Chair are the indie-darlings.  Their sound was a bit artsy, a bit math rock, but still, very distinct post-hardcore sounds.  Season to Risk, Molly McGuire, Clutch, those three all signed to major labels in the 90's.  By default, they tended to be more "commercial" than the others, but their post-hardcore leanings certainly never got them to the top ten.  There were countless other bands doing the same thing, angular guitars, start-stop dynamics, it was a legitimate scene,  these were all recognized touring artists.

Listening to this album, you get what attracted the majors to a band like Season to Risk.  Despite the complex song structures the band makes you raise your fist.  "Jack Frost," "Absolution," "Bloodugly," "Terrain Vague," and  "Sleepwalker" are undeniable and had metal NOT been destroyed as a genre by grunge, some of the tunes could have been hits on that side of the spectrum.  Angry, skateboarding, male teenagers, loved this band and there were a lot of those types running around in the mid 90's.  It's too bad it never caught on in a major way, this type of music, this scene, could have saved everyone from the retarded angst-rock that did catch on in 1998 with the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit.

Jack Frost
Bloodugly

Giant's Chair Red And Clear Caulfield 1995

Giant's Chair Red And Clear Caulfield 1995 CAT # 15

This came out in 1995 and at the time, the group was best described as post-Hardcore.  Similar to other Kansas City bands such as Shiner, Season To Risk, and Molly McGuire, but with a high art value.  By the time the band called it quits, they had become a fairly influential and highly regarded as Emo pioneers.

I think the "emo" tag is mostly due to association with the Nebraska label Caulfield that released most the band's catalog.  Caulfield put out Denver band, Christie Front Drive, who were favorites within that scene.  At that time, indie labels were still thought of as a brand.  For example, you'd buy the Christie Front Drive CD, LP, or 7" and you'd get a small catalog of the labels other releases.  Each album would have a short blurb about how great it was and at some point, you couldn't resist, you started buying other stuff the label put out.  See Sub Pop and Dischord, those labels were brands and worked it to great success.  Caulfield was the same way on an even smaller scale and Kansas City's Giant's Chair was one of the first acts the label put out.

Ultimately, Christie Front Drive with their mumbled lyrics and 3 minute intros were very much an emo band.  Giant's Chair, not so much.  However, due to their popularity within the scene, many later bands began grabbing ideas from them.

Either way, they're a pretty phenomenal band and still sound amazing today.  I believe I'm correct when I say they formed as students at the Kansas City Art Institute.  Very much in the Quicksand realm of post-Hardcore, start stop dynamics, lots of guitar, sing to scream choruses.  They do throw in the high art value by concentrating on dynamics rather than volume.  Like Boys Life, they also loved to drop out of tune for effect.  I always loved how their songs would hang on an idea, like a choppy guitar riff for 30 seconds to a minute, before charging on into a totally different direction.  "Kick the Can" has always been one of my faves on the album and represents the group well and provides insight as to why everyone considers them "Emo".  "Full on Flat White" does as well and since I couldn't find "Kick the Can" on YouTube, it's linked below.

Full On Flat White

Boys Life Departures and Landfalls Cargo/Headhunter 1996

Boys Life Departures and Landfalls Cargo/Headhunter 1996 HED 063

So good.  The first album was aggressive and powerful.  This LP is a bit more restrained, but still employs the same dynamics as the debut.  It was recorded by Bob Weston and done directly to analogue tape.  As such, it is probably the most live sounding studio album the 90's ever heard.  Further, without Trombino producing, you get the sense the band was allowed to be a bit more true to themselves.  There's a definite twang on some of those chords.  It's still very dissonant and start/stop, but more organic sounding.  If post-hardcore can sound roots oriented, it's on this album.

Everything just comes together so well in this album.  By the time you get the 3rd song, 'Twenty Four of Twenty Five,' you feel so involved.  The guitars, despite being loud and out of tune draw you in and feel warm.  The 7 minute reprieve of 'Twenty Four of Twenty Five' is like a smoke break until the album regains course with 'Radio Towers' onto the B-Side which doesn't hold back.

It was the band's best and final work.  The "twang" and space they created in the songs shows up in the later projects.  The Farewell Bend was a toned down version of this album, but didn't really catch on.  The group Canyon, which featured Brandon Butler and Robert Winkle from Boys Life, was a fantastic Lo-Fi take on Americana.

Fire Engine Red
Radio Towers

Season To Risk Biter B/W Oil 7" Red Decibel 1992

 Season To Risk Biter B/W Oil Red Decibel 1992 CAT # CS7 4908

Season to Risk was an aggressive rock band from KC.  I've heard them called hardcore rock and that suits them well.  Hardcore in the sense that it's a heavy crushing sound.  Too punk to be metal, too metal to be punk.  My brother recalls them as a band he used to throw on the tape deck before heading out to skateboard.

They had a revolving cast, but singer Steve Tulipana and guitarist Duane Trower were the core members.  This release features Paul Malinowski who also gigged with Shiner.  Malinowski was also credited as a songwriter while in the band and added the post-hardcore feel of the group.

In their day, they were one of the more successful KC bands.  They signed to a major label, did music video shoots, and were even seen performing in the Hollywood movie Strange Days.  This 7" outside of the slick John Wayne Gacy artwork is typical of their sound.  'Biter' is a scorcher, bunch of guitars and a pounding rhythm section.  Tulipana runs a ton of vocal effects that make the song and band sound polished and professional.  The song was featured on their self titled debut album, as 'Bitter'.  'Oil' is aggressive sludge rock.  It's nothing spectacular, but enjoyable.

Boys Life S/T Crank! A Record Company 1995

Boy Life S/T Crank! A Record Company 1995 CAT #CRC004

First, the mid-90's was an amazing time for KC & Lawrence's music scenes and it was an amazing time for indie rock.  However, it was an awful time for vinyl.  If a band was on a "true" indie in the 90's that was other than say, Matador, they were lucky if the album was mastered for vinyl.  Rather, and likely to save money, the CD master was slapped onto vinyl in effort to be cost effective and still give the indie-rockers what they wanted at shows.  Crank! was no exception, this pressing suffers problems and I remember the CD version sounding much more crisp.  Just saying.

Moving onto the album, in highschool, this was as cool as a Fugazi record.  I mean these guys were relentless.  Out of tune guitars blazing, their early days were frenzied attacks on song structure.  And, they were in or near my hometown, that was exciting.

The band was picked up by the Crank! label after founder, Jeff Matlow, put out the first Vitreous Humor 7".  Matlow was familiar with the local scene after signing the Manhattan band, Truck Stop Love, to the Scotti Brothers label as an A&R guy.  When Scotti Brothers refused to sign Vitreous Humor on the account that they already had a band from Kansas, Matlow quit and decided to go it alone.  Along the way, he picked up some other locals.  He signed Boys Life and another Kansas City band, Uncrush.  His label brought a ton of  attention to the area.  And, when Crank! released Mineral's Power of Failing, suddenly, Viterous Humor and Boys Life became associated with the developing emo scene.

The record isn't emo.  It's post-hardcore.  Similar to Jawbreaker, Quicksand, and Fugazi.  It was recorded by Mark Trombino from Drive Like Jehu and it shows.  Trombino didn't let the band hold back, it goes from a restrained whisper to an all out assault.  The LP does suffer a bit of same-ness, in that, after a while, you get it, they're going to whisper, scream, guitar feedback, end.  It's a bit formulaic.  However, the out of tune guitars and occasional out of key yelps keep it interesting.  Second, working with Trombino allowed the band to explore their genre and develop as a band.  The song 'Temporary' which was first recorded for a split 7" with Vitrous Humor (previously discussed) is slowed down here, showing the band was focused on sound and texture and not just old punk rock tricks.  And sure, they borrow from Drive Like Jehu, but this is Kansas City, we had no fucking clue who that band was until we heard this.

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