Quantcast
 Everett True

Song of the day – 431: Teeth (Rock Vs Cancer. Rock Wins.)

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Teeth - The Strain album cover

Here’s the deal.

This dude from The Cribs emails me. I was going to paraphrase him, but you know that ain’t my style. My style is cut to the case where possible. This dude from The Cribs emails me, asks me to have a listen to a band he’s encountered in his travels. You don’t send shit out like that in emails very often if you want to retain any credibility whatsoever, once a decade maybe. I figure this dude knows my taste so I have myself a listen. It’s fucking SWEET, dry and incisive as all hell, blistering and right-on without any of that extraneous shit, like grunge was when Killdozer and Big Black invented it way back then: menace and anger and a drum sound that’s as serious as cancer. Guitars that are so fucking restrained you start worrying whether they’re lurking somewhere out there in the shadows because if they ever break free you’re in a fuck of a lot of trouble boy. Repetition like only early Spacemen 3 realised it. Brooding, like a useless rejected altar boy. Fucking goddamn, you  don’t need to tell me Albini is involved somewhere in this music … you can fucking feel his grimy fingernails all over your earlobes, pleading, plucking, tearing great big holes. SILENCE IS A WEAPON TOO. The album’s called The Strain and Bangs damn it, we would’a KILLED for music this focused, tightly coiled, back in 1990. Covers would’ve fallen. Shirts would’a been ripped. Bass bins torn asunder.

The album’s called The Strain and it’s 30 minutes of some of the greatest grunge you’ll ever hear in your goddamn life, and I’m thinking of early Today Is The Day, early Lift To Experience, early Crass even for the intensity and the intensity alone (not the music), and my old floor buddy Dale Crover for the … Bangs damnit, do I need to explain this … and it’s John and Benjamin Grabski, brothers, never recorded together before, helping John battle cancer despite the cancer returning again and again.

Fuck that. The music is what matters here.

As the Circuit Sweet blog puts it: Rock Vs Cancer. Rock Wins.

Here’s Gary’s email, trimmed because some of it is none of your damn business. Or if it is your damn business then maybe you can conduct it elsewhere where it can have more impact. Your damn business right now is to agree with me how fucking GREAT this album they’ve made sounds. Anyway. Here’s Gary’s email:

We just got done recording our new record with Steve Albini, at his place in Chicago. Don’t know if you know much about that place, but it is residential so we ended up meeting the band that was in prior to us. they were called Teeth and they were really nice guys … Albini was doing them for free because he liked the idea behind the project, and Coady Willis from The Melvins is helping them out.

I have just been trying my best to spread the word, and thought maybe it was right up your street. Super raw, honest, not being done for commercial gain etc. Very influenced by Melvins, Shellac, Bleach/pre-Dave-era Nirvana, maybe even a bit Jesus Lizard at times.

Just wanted to pass on the word.

twitter.com/teethhasteeth
facebook.com/teethhasteeth
http://teethhasteeth.bandcamp.com/

So the dude from Teeth emails me, John Grabski III. Here’s the email, abridged:

I certainly appreciate your interest.  At this time, two unmastered tracks are available for a listen at http://teethhasteeth.bandcamp.com … also at Teeth’s FB page, http://facebook.com/teethhasteeth (which also has a bio and stuff as well)…

The album trailer as well as a rehearsal video is available at http://youtube.com/teethmusichasteeth …

My interview on Rochester news station WHAM 13 is located at http://bit.ly/vBnXtY …

I have a concise written track-by-track “abstract” of the album itself that would serve as a great listening companion as well; I’ve used it for some private listenings, which regardless of the person’s affiliation has surprisingly resulted in a strong emotional response to the entire experience; something that has proven to be quite humbling to me.

All the best to you, sir!

I don’t know about you. Much as I like the idea of an ‘abstract’, this music is MORE than enough for me. It stands alone, magnificent in its metal beauty. All 30 minutes, 30 seconds of it. I know that my old coffee-drinking partner Jack Endino would love this, and I know that I love this, and I know Steve Albini loves this, and I know Thurston Moore would love this, and I know Mudhoney would love this, and I know Gary Jarman loves this … and Bangs wept. How much more of a fucken recommendation do you need?

6 Responses to Song of the day – 431: Teeth (Rock Vs Cancer. Rock Wins.)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.