V/A--Sound and Fury! 7"
Howitzer 2000
This 7", Sound and Fury, provides a sampling of four different punk bands from central Virginia. From the sound of things, there's some pretty cool stuff happeneing musically in that state. Side A features two bands from Richmond, the Halfways and Ultrabait, while the B side spotlights a pair of groups hailing from Charlottesville, the Counselors and the Elderly.
First up are the Halfways and do they ever kick things off in style. Their selection is "New Race," a song originally performed by the legendary Radio Birdman. The simple act of choosing this song to cover lets you know right off the bat that things are probably going to work out just fine with this 7". Besides having great taste, the Halfways play the hell out of this classic. Their performance is super raw and should appeal to fans of the Reatards or other like minded bands.
Next up is Ultrabait with their self-penned track "Medication." The way this sounds might be best described as a less sloppy but still awesome Supercharger. People who love great female fronted punk will be in heaven when they hear this tune. A second female voice in the group background vocals adds a nice extra snottiness to the proceedings.
Kicking off side B are the Counselors with "Shoot The Phone." Their guitar sound is somewhat similar to NOFX--it is very "metallic" in nature. Their performance here does differ from Epitaph styled bands in that the rawness and soul of what they're doing hasn't been glossed away by overblown production. Still, fans of bands like Rancid and the previously mentioned NOFX should find a lot to like about the Counselors.
Wrapping up this EP are the Elderly with their song "National Drinking Day." It's a nice way to end things because this tune annihilates. Hopped up and rocked out, this one should appeal to fans of the New Bomb Turks. Gloriously brutal way to end the record.
All told, this is a terriffic regional snapshot of some very cool bands. From the taste Sound and Fury provides you, it's clear these are bands worth exploring a little deeper. Start digging.
Score this 7"er directly from HOWITZER
|
