Le Scrawl is not a band for everyone to listen to. They take thrashing, deathy, grindy metal and splatter it with bits of skas more surprising elements such as saxophone, organ and skanking 4x4 beats. This is for sure experimental music, but not in the vein most people think. There's no droning seven minute songs, no keyboards/synth/electro elements, no "atmosphere". Just grindska. Or skadeath. Or skagrind. Or thrashska. I really don't know what to call it besides enthralling and catchy as fuck. Could this be another case of music by location? Le Scrawl are from Belgium, which might have something to do with it. Wedged between France(prominent language in Belgium), Germany, The Netherlands and the English Channel with the UK to the North it makes sense where their influences come from. England was the start of the punky ska movement once it got exported from the Caribbean and Germany is a thrash/death metal Mecca. It all makes sense. I have no clue where their experimental impetus came from but man am I happy they found it.
The thirteen songs presented here on "Eager to Please" start off with energetic metal that bounces and makes you wanna skank until the death metal slaps your face again. The first six songs do really well at alternating tempos and moods with middle songs slowing down to more mid-tempo and letting the organ and horns really shine through. The first three or four times you listen to this you'll ask yourself and those around you "Is this a joke? Are these guys for real?" The answer is fuck yes. It's for real. You probably will chuckle at what seems to be absurd, but you'll eventually go "Oh shit this is really good!". I personally love the metal riffs with guttural vocals that transition into the ska parts that are more light-hearted, with the sick guttural vocals. This interplay of atmosphere gives me the same feeling power-violence bands that play blasts into breakdowns give me.
So do yourself a favor and get adventurous and experimental without listening to Boris.
"One by one, you will die"
4 comments:
yeahhhhhh this is one i've never been able to get behind. now excuse me while i hum a few bars of propagandhi's "ska sucks."
I'm okay with that. This band isn't for everyone just like how bands like Super Happy Fun Slide and Japanese Comedy Torture Hour aren't for everyone.
They always make me think of this really bad ska/metalcore band I used to listen to, the Flaming Tsunamis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNrldMYfE_Q
belgium has a long history of prog-rock high weirdness as well as some of the weirdest tasting beer yeast in the world. what is it with belgium?
@ andrew, lol "the bands are only in it for the bucks/ and if you don't believe me, you're a schmuck."
-icky
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