Review
LMI
Excess Subconscious

Oh my god, where should I start with this one? Saying you’re something doesn’t make you that thing! Just because this band smokes weed does not make them the genre “stoner punk.” LMI process elements of hardcore, punk and stoner music. But not the parts I enjoy about those sounds. Their logo and various cover illustrations are the most honest and powerful part of this release. For that reason, I’m excited to see what this band is doing in five years. When their imaginary starts to match the sounds coming out of the speakers, LMI will become far more interesting.

The vocals are an abrasive after-thought. I have to keep turning it off to be able to think and write. Because the guitarist is seemingly uncomfortable singing and playing, the vocals are a layer that adds very little for me. The oil and water of it all makes the discord more evident. The potential to be interesting is present, but the early years of this trio are brimming with awkwardness.

Lansdale, PA sounds like a place where aggressive screeching music might make a ton of sense. They have a newer split record with a band from Wilkes Barre, PA. I tried listening to that one too. These guys are old enough to have grown their hair long but not old enough to know the value of down picking.

They are a metal band a kin to Celtic Frost or Sodom. More enthusiasm than talent. LMI have a confused sense of what scene they should be crafting the bands aesthetic after. They named themselves a vague punk sounding acronym (Lazy Middle-Class Intellectuals) but their art looks like Tool. I’m typically a fan of metal and enthusiasm but this record misses the mark. The vocals sound like they were sung by a fan of power violence hardcore. The drummer seems very competent and ironically metal. The bass guitar is a bit wild and on the edge of falling apart at all times. The union of these perfectly exciting genres is sadly unresolved.