Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: Chairman of the Bored

March 30, 2014

First Quarter Finish (Mixtape)

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Well, Heartbreaking Bravery’s another 50 posts in, which means that it’s time for another mixtape- and the timing couldn’t be any better. As April springs forth, a new quarter begins and leaves the first part of the year behind, opening it up for examination. First Quarter Finish is a testament to the the startling strength of 2014’s first three months and is largely composed of music that’s been featured on this site. Perfect Pussy‘s “Driver” kicks things off in a typically frenzied fashion, reflecting the purpose of this collection as acutely as possible. Make no mistake, this is a batch of songs that traffic in very high intensity even in their quietest moments.

From tour-only tapes to standout cuts off early Album of the Year contenders like Burn Your Fire for No Witness, Here and Nowhere Else, and Rooms of the House to eerily hypnotic moments, deranged apathetic insanity, and a very long list of promising glimpses at upcoming records, it’s truly been a hell of a start and deserves celebration. Listen to the sounds of that celebration below (if the player is not appearing onscreen, it can also be accessed here).

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TRACKLIST

1. Perfect Pussy – Driver
2. La Sera – Losing to the Dark
3. Cheap Girls – Knock Me Down
4. Archie Powell & the Exports – Everything’s Fucked
5. Crow Bait – 83
6. Big Air – Cemetery With A View
7. PAWS – Tongues
8. Brain F≠ – Sicks
9. Antarctigo Vespucci – I’m Giving Up On U2
10. Playlounge – Waves and Waves and Waves
11. Vertical Scratchers – Memory Shards
12. Angel Olsen – Forgiven/Forgotten
13. Silence Dogood – Chairman of the Bored
14. Priests – Right Wing
15. Green Dreams – Eye Contact
16. Fucked Up – Paper the House
17. Creepoid – Baptism
18. La Dispute – Woman (in Mirror)
19. Sleep Party People – In Another World
20. Odonis Odonis – Order in the Court
21. PILE – Special Snowflakes
22. Young Widows – King Sol
23. Protomartyr – Scum, Rise!
24. Technicolor Teeth – Tomb
25. Cloud Nothings – I’m Not Part of Me

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March 4, 2014

Silence Dogood – Chairman of the Bored (Stream)

Chairman Of The Bored

Michigan power trio Silence Dogood have been stealthily cranking out incendiary lo-fi scuzz pop EP’s since 2012’s Sound of Silence. Master of Puppets (the band’s stock and trade lies in tongue-in-cheek appropriation)  is the band’s 10th (yes, 1oth) EP and opening track “Chairman of the Bored” sees them taking their apathetic nihilism to new heights. It’s not unfamiliar territory for a band who frequently finds their feet firmly planted in reactionary status. What it does do, however, is grab the listeners attention. Immediately.

“Chairman of the Bored” opens with some quick guitar stabs before guitarist and vocalist Cameron Mahoney makes a startling announcement. Those opening lines? “Me and my friends make our own rules- we burn down churches and piss off schools- and we’ll burn you too.” And he’s only just getting started. As the song grows darker, so does the lyrical content, hitting an apex with the couplet “some smartass kid made fun of my town/chained him to my truck and showed him around” before following it with a characteristically bored and detached delivery on “who’s laughing now?”

Mahoney’s lyrics have always been startling and one of the band’s strongest selling points. “Chairman of the Bored” definitely raises the stakes on their unpredictability though, definitely proving that their is no topic or character narrative they’re afraid to tackle. Their brand of post-punk works in tandem with that aspect of their music as a perfect complement. By striking a balance between contrast and accentuation they’ve landed on something weirdly irresistible.

Hear “Chairman of the Bored” below and remember that presentation isn’t always glorification. Seriously.

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