No Sleep Roundup: Cave In, Jericho Woods, Sara Trunzo, Culture Abuse

By Robert Dean

Looking for some new music? My inbox has been overflowing, so let’s do the roundup. Last week, I ventured to Chicago to see a show I always dreamt about but never thought I’d get to see: The Misfits. I saw Jerry Only, Glenn Danzig and good ole’ guitar puncher himself, Doyle. I’m going to write this up into a long form piece, so stay tuned for that. 

But, for now: 

Cave In’s newest and (probably last) record, Final Transmission will hit the streets on June 7th. It’s a mixture of the Until Your Heart Stops hardcore, but a lot of the out there Jupiter stuff, as well. Gone-way-too-soon bassist Caleb Scofield appears on all of the tracks. From what interviews and press releases tell me, the band were all torn up when finishing the record, and rightfully so. Losing a band member and a best friend is never easy. But, at least we’ve got 20+ year’s worth of records and one last time to hear Caleb’s weird ass basslines. 

Sara Trunzo’s got a new record dropping soon, Dirigo Attitude, it’s meat and potatoes bluegrass/country stuff. I like it, it’s very “clean” sounding, reminds me of mountains or long grass near a creek. Can’t go wrong with that.

Jericho Woods have a new one out that’s a little poppy for my tastes, but if you lean toward the more “Nashville” driven stuff, this will totally bang for you. It’s not cheesy whatsoever, but it does have to those massive harmonized hooks that people love to holler along with. It reminded me Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in The Dark” – so if you love that late 1980’s – early 1990’s country, you’re going to love this. 

Speaking of Stephen Brodsky of Cave In, New Idea Society is back for their first record in a few years. Think shoegaze played by a bunch of hardcore dudes. It’s frantic, heavy and quenches a thirst when waiting for new stuff from We Lost The Sea. 

Three records you should really listen to: 

Yawpers - Human Question 

Mekons - Deserted 

Vandoliers - Forever 

All of the bands are out on tour and instead of just being lazy and firing up the good ole’ Spotify, get your fat ass to a show. 

If you’ve got an itch for stuff that sounds like Depeche Mode, The Cure, or other awesome synthy bands, Drab Majesty has a new record dropping this summer. This stuff is unbelievably pleasing. If you’ve ever spent a night drunk out of your mind dancing with goths at 3am, this will speak to you on a different level. 

If you’re sitting on public transportation and want to beat the ever-loving shit out of the person next to you, put this on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76WDd27SWtM&feature=youtu.be

It’s Full of Hell’s newest and boy is it not for beginners into metal. 

If you were psyched on whack ass Vampire Weekend dropping a new record, get hip to the new Culture Abuse, it’s a more realized, non-shitty version of what those preppy nerds are doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6zm0qp8TQU&feature=youtu.be

Plus, Culture Abuse is going on tour, like all summer. You’ll get to enjoy music that’s not next to some asshole in salmon-colored shorts. 

The No Sleep Roundup w/Nathan Kalish, Devildriver, and Turnstile

by Robert Dean

Been grinding away lately. Burning the candle at both ends trying to get some creative projects to pop off while maintaining a busy writing schedule. Friday, I think I got a whopping four hours of sleep and at no point over the weekend did I ever get more than, like six. 

In this week’s roundup: 

Nathan Kalish dropped a new record, “I Want To Believe” that’s straight from the school of Conway Twitty and George Jones, but with a timbre that’s oddly satisfying. Kalish has an interesting delivery. “I Want To Believe” has an old-school sound that feels like tape; it’s unique, which is nice because, damn, I get a lot of stuff sent to me that sounds the same. Give Nathan Kalish a spin. It gives off the vibe that it’s a good record to smoke a joint to, which is always essential. Well, at least it is to me. 

Caleb from Cave In died. This one is a sword right to the guts. I’ve loved Cave In since I heard "Until Your Heart Stops", a bonafide hardcore classic. It breaks my heart to know Caleb died in such a terrible way. We were about to have him and the boys from MA back in our lives and just like that; he’s gone. Life is bananas, kids. Love the folks around you hard, because the next minute, they could be gone. The older I get, the more real this becomes. 

Please consider donating to his GoFundMe - dude is leaving behind a wife and two daughters. He wasn’t even 40 and a vet of the heavy music community for the last 20 years. 

Deftones

Devildriver is releasing a “country covers” album that sounds as exciting as oral surgery. Deftones are working on a new one; hopefully, it pulls some White Pony magic out of the ether cuz I haven’t liked a Deftones record in almost 20 years. 

In other news that makes me want to stab a bbq spike into my throat, Godsmack is teasing a new video featuring Billy Ray Cyrus – two things the world a whole lot less of. Fucking awesome. 

As always, Desus & Mero is the funniest show on tv. Yes, I’m hipster scum who watches VICELAND all day long while I type stuff for you lovely folks. 

Turnstile is a band you should probably be listening to right now. Hardcore is evolving in a super exciting way. Knocked Loose, Harms Way, Code Orange, Jesus Piece, etc. There’s a lot of bands challenging the genre, and it’s a lot of fun to see these kids push the cultural dynamics in places other music is too afraid to. If there’s percolating artistry and anger in music that’s pushing boundaries for the better, it’s happening in hardcore music. Turnstile is cool because they’re mixing Snapcase with Gorilla Biscuits and even some Bad Brains, but it doesn’t feel throwback for the sake of doing so. 

That’s it. Enjoy your weekend.