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Local Guides
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C’mon
Midnight Is The Answer
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by Vish Khanna
October 7 –13, 2004 |
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C’mon
Midnight Is The Answer (Independent)
King Cobb Steelie
Destroy All Codes (Outside)
With their history as friends and collaborators it seems fitting that
ex–Change of Heart leader Ian Blurton and the remaining original
members of King Cobb Steelie have each arrived at a point where
leaner seems meaner. After a pioneering run as an experimental
punk rock band left Change of Heart in the dust in 1997, Blurton
found it difficult to maintain a band with a consistent line–up. He
came awfully close towards the end of Blurtonia — a thunderous
band who owed as much to Sun Ra as AC/DC.
C’mon is Blurton’s dream job though, the mightiest of power
trios that has gelled together like no motherfucker’s goddamned
business. With Midnight Is The Answer, the band rips through 10
awesome new songs such as “Messenger,” “Easier Said Than
Done” and “Army of Love” with the impassioned bluster of a
hardcore hurricane. As a trio, C’mon offers a succession of
concise blasts, each getting their point across like a punch in the
face that turn listeners into delirious masochists who want more
and more.
King Cobb Steelie achieve a similar effect by also stripping down
on their hypnotic new record. The dub–punk giants gained a
whole new audience in 1997 with their booty–shaking crossover
album Junior Relaxer, where the throb of Kevin Lynn’s bass
seemed bent on invigorating any dance floor. That ante is upped
on Destroy All Codes, a drum ’n’ bass tour de force led by Lynn
and über–percussionist Sam Cino.
Vocalist and guitarist Kevan Byrne plays it low–key, but when
he’s on, he’s definitely on. He gives a standout song like “My
American Partner” the meaty dynamic it requires while his
appearance on “Hearst” suggests what Steve Albini might sound
like fronting a funked up Shellac.
All in all, King Cobb Steelie and C’mon each maximize their
minimalism by offering a knowing glimpse at the future of DIY
punk in this country. [VK]
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