Talk is Poison
Condensed Humanity: The Prank EPs
Prank (2007)
At last. A fairly short-lived, late '90s hardcore band, Talk is Poison seemed to stick in the heads of connoisseurs after disbanding, leaving behind a small but dedicated cadre of fans. They produced three records - two EPs and a split with Deathreat - and after many laments about this material going out of print, it's nice to see all of it collected here. But does it hold up, almost a decade later? Sort of. Talk is Poison play a bleak strain of modern hardcore descended from Citizens Arrest, much like partners in crime Deathreat, with a bass-driven moodiness that recalls Econochrist. The songs storm by in a hail of strained vocals and ashen power chord gloom, with minor-key bass bits bubbling up out of the mix. All of it sounds appropriately devastating, with a powerful recording that enhances the songs without sacrificing their rough edges. One thing puzzles me about this reissue; it chops up the order of the songs. The first half of the Straight to Hell EP opens side one, and the second half opens side two, with the Deathreat split and Control EP following respectively. You can ignore this unless you're a purist, but it creates … Read more
Big D and the Kids Table
Strictly Rude
Side One Dummy (2007)
Ska is dead. Is ska dead? For many of us the answer is yes. I'm sure several of you reading … Read more
Panda Bear
Person Pitch
Paw Tracks (2007)
Better known as one-fourth of indie darlings Animal Collective, Noah Lennox under the name Panda Bear has recently released his … Read more
Life in Your Way
Waking Giants
Solid State (2007)
Waking Giants marks Life in Your Way's jump from the farm leagues to the, well, the somewhat bigger indie league. … Read more
Her Breath on Glass / Championship
Split
Reap What You Sew (2007)
As much as people don't want to admit it, independent music is based on trends just the same as mainstream … Read more
