Description
Ever since Rocket From The Tombs gave way to Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys, Clevelands been producing endless shots of adrenaline courtesy of the wildest, weirdest sounds around. Knowso may not have much sonically in common with their citys elder statesmen, but theyre following in the same spiritual tradition, blasting away with a take on punk rock thats tense, spiky and powerful. Following on from their Look At The Chart 12 for Californias premier trash-rock stable Neck Chop, and a 7 for Total Punk, Specialtronics Green Vision is their debut album – and as full-lengths go, its a helluva first offering.
Cuts like Calamine echo the likes of Devo in their jerked-out fury, but whereas theres a whole raft of slopcore bands in recent years whove focused on the other-worldly side of Mothersbaugh and co., Knowso rub their angular tendencies against clenched-teeth riffage and a brutal sense of righteous outrage. The effect is somewhere in between Steve Albinis more pointed rackets, Black Flag in both weirdo freakout and perfect slice of fury modes, and (unexpectedly) even the screwy rhetoric of Welsh wonders Future Of The Left.
They have a killer CV – Knowso boast members of Cruelster, Perverts Again and Cloud Nothings among their line-up – but still, this is a record that sounds everything and nothing like those bands, with a healthy number of bonus ingredients thrown in. Peaceful And Extinct shows them at their smartarse best, bouncing between (hey, bear with me) tasteful riffology and sheer power, while Digital God is just a heads-down thrill ride. But hey, its a record full of surprises and wonder, like ice cream topped with barbed wire, and its one of the best things youll hear all year. Insert your own think so? I knowso joke here; Id write one myself but Im too busy putting this on repeat play for the rest of forever.
Our take: After a 12 EP and a 7both of which I lovedClevelands Knowso give us their debut album, the bizarrely titled Specialtronics Green Vision. Let me say this straight off the bat: I fucking love this band. They sound like no one else (save their related bands Perverts Again and Cruelster), their music is catchy, energetic, and memorable, and their lyrics have a rare mixture of cynicism, surrealism, and profundity that I could eat with a spoon. Its a brilliantly conceived thing that hangs together perfectly, and when I listen my body jerks along with their angular, over-caffeinated rhythms while my brain chews on whatever snatches of lyrics I can grab as they fly by. It feels futile to construct an if you like x, you might like Knowso is analogy because their music is so singular. Either you get and appreciate what theyre doing or you dont there doesnt seem to be much room for middle ground. Youve got the internet, though, so give this a listen and figure out which side of the fence youre on.
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