This remains a fertile area for punk rock. Do I even need to say that about Washington, D.C.? Maybe I do since so much of this city's musical pedigree is rooted in the past. Today, I'm going to catch up with three significant recent releases.
Shadow Riot
Centered around the yearning and nuanced vocals of Kamyar Arsani (Time is Fire), Shadow Riot crank out angular and jagged post-punk. "Quiet Please", the A-side to their new single, offers up a guitar attack which owes something to very early Joy Divsion, and late period Fugazi. Jeff Barsky (Bed Maker, Insect Factory, Times is Fire) plays in a focused manner here, his axe, such a wonderful weapon on that extraordinary Bed Maker record, taking command from Arsani's voice. The flip, "Middle Man" is a riot barely contained. Guitar hooks strongly reminiscent of peak Gang of Fear anchor this. Both this cut and the A-side benefit from supple bass-work from the legendary Dug Birdzell (Beefeater, Fidelity Jones) and epic drumming from Jerry Busher (Deathfix, Las Mordidas).
You can hear elements of art rock in the Shadow Riot storm. There's a hint of Frank Zappa in places, a nod to Beefheart's stuff, and plenty of early punk channeled into something that is pinpointed in on the pleasure centers of your brain. Shadow Riot want you to get up off your asses, but they also want you to think. A full-length from this lot is likely to start the revolution.
"Quiet Please" / "Middle Man" by Shadow Riot is out now via Timo Records. Details via Dischord.
Sex Faces
There's so much going on during this Sex Faces record that a listener is forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. Fulfilling the promise of those early Royal Trux records, Bad Vibes OST is chaos unleashed. Jacky Cougar (Des Demonas) channels both Lydon and Smith here, even as other numbers reference Iggy (the excellent "James Osterberg"). The roaring "Babies", a sequel of sorts to the Pistols' "Bodies", churns and then erupts. Even better is "S.C.U.M." with its "Chinese Rocks"-inspired opening riff.
Sex Faces are here to burn everything down and they'll do it with smiles on their faces. This is flat-out one of the best rock and roll records I've heard from anyone in this city in quite some time. The sound here is as utterly removed from the controlled focus of this city's harDCore past as one could ever imagine. I mean, this is punk, but this ain't your daddy's Fugazi record, you know?
Bad Vibes OST by Sex Faces is out now via Slovenly. Details via Bandcamp below.
Rise Defy
The new self-titled record from Rise Defy is pure pleasure. A reminder of just how great a form punk can be when done with a precise focus, this album is full of the right kind of energy. With guitars from Enoch Thompson (Scream), and bass and vocals from Davis Tone, the attack is reminiscent of Eighties-era American hardcore, though more of the NYC variety than from here. "The Noise and the Static", a shouty anthem, is excellent, and the sort of thing that will cause a pit to fill quickly. Elsewhere, "Shellshocked" erupts from the speakers, the guitars from Thompson and Jack Muzzie laying waste to anyone in the way.
Some of the material sounds like it was inspired not only by Thompson's Scream, but by bands like Agnostic Front in other parts of this country. Special mention to drummer Paul Maniscalco (Police & Thieves) for keeping the pace here, and leading the players into the fire. Fans of the material from American punk legends like The Offspring and Rancid, may find stuff that resonates here, as will those who prefer U.K. pioneers like Sham 69. Rise Defy is a lean beast of a record, full of concise rockers which waste nothing in delivering the goods.
Rise Defy by Rise Defy is out now. Details below via Bandcamp.
[Credits: Top photo of Shadow Riot by Chris Grady; Middle photo of Sex Faces by Ben Schurr; Bottom photo of Rise Defy by Roxplosion]