A little over a year ago I decided to check out Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada four-piece White Lung after reading a glowing recommendation from Aesop Dekker (drummer extraordinaire for the Ludicra, Agalloch, and Worm Ouroboros) on his blog of their 2010 album It’s the Evil. With eleven songs clocking in at just under twenty five minutes, it was a frenetic blast of punk energy full of impossibly complex guitar work that evoked bands as diverse as Bikini Kill and Dead Kennedys. It’s a fantastic album, and I listened to it non-stop for a long time, but after a while I craved more.
Imagine my joy, then, when it was announced that they would return at the end of May with Sorry, whose ten songs in nineteen minutes offer an even more concise and catchy (gasp!) set of blistering melodies. While there isn’t much change in the band’s sound stylistically, they’ve taken a huge step up in terms of both the accessibility (!) and memorability of their songs. Singer Mish Way brings more melody to the table vocally, while the incredibly tight rhythm section of Grady MacIntosh (bass) and Anne-Marie Vassiliou (drums) propel the songs forward with unyielding ferocity. Guitarist Kenneth McCorkell, yanking every bit of grinding power from the strings of his instrument, ties this little gift together with a bow of twisted tunes that slither into your subconscious and refuse to leave. Then again, with tracks like the hook-filled “Bag” (which you can listen to below), you won’t want them to.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVAECGIwSZI[/youtube]
About the author
Intro to Radio Instuctor - Jacob is given young minds for molding. He then molds them. This is what he does.