By Jennifer Levesque
For the Valley Advocate
Warm “Fastidium”
The moment I pressed play on this album, I couldn’t stop listening to it. At home, mid-chore, I just sat there in a trance-like state until the last track ended.
“Fastidium” is the latest release from local metal band Warm, who were recently signed to Light Sleeper Records. The band consists of Eric Holle on drums, Mike Taylor on guitar and vocals, Willow Emmerich on bass and vocals, and Keenan O’Connor on guitar and vocals.
Warm’s lyrics and conceptual ideas are a combined effort between O’Connor and Taylor. On album, the “songwriting became more collaborative and intense … with everyone getting their hands dirty,” O’Connor said on behalf of the band.
You can hear the influence of Mastodon and Pelican mixed throughout “Fastidium” so much that if Warm ever toured with either band, it would be a perfect fit. All the while, Warm maintains their own uniqueness, style and totally mind blowing riffs and beats.
“Chain of Being” kicks the album off heavy and powerful, with each member’s instrument interlocking and laying out the path.
Title track, “Fastidium,” is an instrumental song that is masterful and sends chills and showcases the talent of each member.
The total monster of a track, “Not a Hair Out of Place,” is just absolutely ridiculous, in the best way possible. Taylor and O’Connor go “riff-for-riff” bouncing off of each other’s guitars.
“Instead of breaking out ideas with that one into separate songs we said ‘Nope, throw it in,’” O’Connor said. Visually, the song put me on a roller coaster zipping through the cosmos, dodging asteroids every touch of the fret. The lyrics, “I am nothing, I am no one” are scattered throughout the 11-plus minute song and in different styles, which adds a haunting touch.
The album closes with “Accept What You Are,” which has a smooth groove and lyrics that are powerful and emotional. “Accept what / You are / And you will be / Free from / All you claim to be.” The band was excited to note that Taylor’s cinematic guitar solo at the end of the track was done in one take.
The album was mixed by Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab and mastered by Carl Saff of Saff Mastering and is available now through the band’s Bandcamp page. You can experience them live at Cafe Nine in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 10, and they will also be appearing at this year’s RPM Fest in Montague, Labor Day weekend, August 29-31. (Check rpmfest.org later on for a lineup and full schedule.)
TueTewsday “Shoulda Been Larz”
The latest release from local punk rock band TueTewsday, “Shoulda Been Larz,” is fun and energetic. The band consists of Sully Sullivan on guitar and vocals, Paul Spink on bass and backup vocals, and Adam Slim on drums. You may recognize them from another punk band from a few years ago, Left Hand Backwards. This new iteration of the band is a little more family-friendly.
“We pretty much had the kids be involved with us the entire time and it’s kind of like a family-oriented band, rather than just some friends getting drunk playing music,” Sullivan explained.
The band members’ kids joined their parents in the studio while recording and also lent some vocals here and there. The kids were also the inspiration for a bunch of their songs.
Opening track “Hiking” starts the album off dark and sludgy. I love the Alice in Wonderland references that are scattered throughout, making it notable right off the bat with the kids’ influences.
Once the vocals hit in “Ominous,” I’m instantly reminded of Jack Black’s band Tenacious D and the theatrical way he sings the lyrics.
The opening bass beats of “Wicked Wreckage” gives off Nirvana’s “Bleach” era vibes. “Friskies” has a happy groove even though I feel like it’s an anti-Friskies cat food song. Ending this song with cat growls is kinda the way to go.
“Darkness” is my favorite track on the album. It’s also the longest track and an instrumental. Even without any vocals in the song, you can still feel heavy emotion.
The album ends with “Home Sweet Hell.” It’s a powerful song and a perfect way to end the album. The relatable lyrics got stuck in my head for days: “So here we go again / reliving the same old story / opening doors we’ve closed / looking for a different ending.”
I love the mixture of the consistent fast-paced, heavy, sludgy instruments and that theatrical style vocals throughout.
The album was recorded at Bonehead Studio and you can stream it on Spotify, Apple and Pandora, and physical copies will be available at shows.
You can catch TueTewsday live this summer on July 18 at Palmer Historical in Three Rivers; Aug. 16 at The Cellar on Treadwell in Hampden, Connecticut; Aug. 23 at The Raven in Worcester; and Sept. 26 at JJ’s Tavern in Florence.
