Alchalant has released a disc that’s really two discs in one. The first half of the album consists of new recordings by the artist known as “alchalant.” After some silence mid-disc, a second album, a recording of the band Nonchalant (with alchalant as lead singer) is presented. Where the first half seems to be very DIY in terms of production (and sometimes sound) the second half is more classic punk rock.
After a short rhythm section intro, “Better Off Dead” powers out into a hard rocking, punk cut. Although the central song structure is set in an old school punk motif, there are some bits of keyboards that lend a different sound and a guitar solo movement is almost art-rock in style.
While the arrangement on “Control” seems more stripped down and DIY in terms of production, the anger and power of the cut stands above the previous number. There’s a real crazed feeling with some of the spoken vocals later. It feels very psychotic in some ways. There’s a killer instrumental section later, too.
“LL” is the title of the third track and it stands for “Loco Land.” It’s a fun and very short piece. It’s less punk rock and more just weird. “Binary” follows and has a real indie rock texture to it. It still retains some of the odd charm of the previous number, but is more accessible. It’s also a lot longer. There are even bits of space rock in the arrangement.
“National Blues 2011” is like hardcore punk. It’s a real screamer both in terms of the vocals and the pace. “Nightmares” is closer to an emo sound. It would be easy to imagine this getting airplay. The bass line is killer in the way it wanders around in the backdrop and this one feels more polished than a lot of the other stuff.
The bass guitar is really out front and impressive on sections of “Dawn.” Although a lot of the album is set in a punk rock motif, this tune feels almost like a progressive rock number. It’s got some intriguing keyboard sounds and fairly complex arrangement. Acoustic guitar meets a real punk rock sensibility on “Bronchitis.”
Now, “Lyle’s Song” is more like old school punk rock. There’s a short little intro jam and then they launch into some smoking hot punk from there. It definitely has more of a “professional” mix. That makes sense because it’s the first piece from the Nonchalant album.
“Bandaids” is one of the coolest tracks on the set. It pounds in with an alternative rock kind of jam before launching into an angry punk rock arrangement. It’s high energy and extremely tasty. “Our Dreams” continues in the same basic vein, but it doesn’t have the same energy or charm. Still, it has a more accessible, nearly emo, chorus.
The next cut is here is the original version of “National Blues.” It still has all the hardcore punk energy and oomph and it’s a great. “No Fight No Win” has a real punk sound, but it also leans towards emo. It’s certainly not up to the same level as the previous tune. It does have a cool, more melodic, instrumental section.
The fast paced vocals on “Neglect the Heartbreak” are particularly noteworthy. The song has a solid punk rock sound that’s not as high energy as some of the others stuff, but is still strong. It’s got some seriously melodic elements to make up for any lack of energy and an interesting vocal arrangement. “Fee for Free” is full of punk fury to close this thing in style. It includes both an almost Black Sabbath-like grind and a tasty melodic interlude.
Punk rock can be a limited musical endeavor in terms of scope. The music here stretches the limits beyond punk, but still manages to remain consistent. Certainly fans of punk rock and emo are the most likely target audience for this set, but alternative rock fans could find a lot to like here, too. If there’s a problem, it’s with the production on the first half. Then again, with this kind of music, that can be a plus, adding charm and credibility.
Review by G. W. Hill
Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)
