By popular demand - i.e. one person requested it - here is Coral's second and final LP. All the remarks I made in my previous post about their first LP basically apply here, too. The title is more than just a clever turn of phrase, though. There are reggae-affected bass lines throughout. You won't confuse this record with The Upsetters, let alone Fugazi, but the intent seems obvious to my ears.Ever since I posted Pillow Talk, I've been listening to these two Coral LPs more in the last few weeks than I have in the last ten years. As the saying goes, these records have aged very well. Very well. With all the chamber pop that passes for "indie rock" these days, it's refreshing to hear some authentically atonal vocals backed by a real Power Trio and put to tape (tape!) with bare boned clarity.
My old friend Doug, currently writing for Dusted and otherwise living the dream in NYC, probably said it best in a Halloween-themed column:
Schick’s later outing in Coral marks its territory as the most depressive, backbiting, hopeless rock music ever committed to tape, with drops of your own blood. Altamont in Dub was the last release for the stalled Fistpuppet imprint; its title alone should clue you in to what’s in store: a dark, disturbing, intensive reinterpretation of a tragedy. Musically, Altamont is top notch, determinedly metallic, mostly uptempo, and pregnant with deep rhythms, but this is a cursed album that feeds into your insecurities and misgivings, fueling their cold fire but inevitably leaving you assed out once it’s all over. Do you dare find out for yourself?
Posts
3 comments:
Thank you very much for fulfiling the request. It takes me back about 12 years or so.
I played guitar on the majority of this recording (replacing my old pal J. Kovalcik) after they had decided to continue without him. After trying out a few diff guitarists, my roommate and bass player, Steve Smith, convinced me to give it a shot... my only stipulation was that we had to start from scratch- all new songs.... we played a number of shows w/ this line up (Brownie's in NYC, etc.), then the drummer decided he was going to move... We recorded our set in 2 nights (maybe 1 - it's been a while) and mixed it in another. To our surprise, someone was willing to release it even though the band was effectively over and could not tour to promote it. I am sure it had more than a little to do w/ B. Schick's reputation... in the end they added 3 or 4 songs the previous line up had recorded and there u have it - "Altamont in Dub" (a name Steve came up w/, and we all thought was fitting). Most of us were big dub heads as well- Not long after Coral ended I moved and the drummer, Bill, ironically came back to Richmond (where they later formed The Dynamic Truths, but that's someone else's story- ain't life funny- When i listen to it today, maybe once a year or so, some of it still gives me goosebumps, even in it's warts and all glory.... k wolin.
please repost. I'd love to finally hear this record.
Post a Comment