Released by Local Cross Records, this two-song EP (it's also known as the "Disaster Prone" 7", but my philosophy is that if there's no title on the packaging, the name of the first song shouldn't automatically become the "title" of the record) is the latest output from Detroit's Bill Bondsmen. The band has released a few other 7"s and a full-length since 2004, but this is my first exposure to their work, which I find to be pretty interesting. Honestly, I'm usually not really into this style of stripped down and intentionally "dated" sounding traditional hardcore/punk, but there's a darker sort of atmosphere to these tracks that really grabs my attention and gives the Bill Bondsmen a completely different feel than any other band of this nature that I've encountered. Hell, the first half of "36th" even reminds me of Joy Division or something with its droning guitars over pulsing bass (the basslines are great throughout the entire EP). And even when they're dealing with the more straightforward hardcore/punk structures they throw in a lot of angular, Fugazi-esque riffing that keeps the material from feeling stale and rehashed, which is just awesome. I'm not sure how this compares to their prior work, but if it's all along these lines I'll have to pick up some of those records, too. I've been very pleasantly surprised by this 7". Nicely done...
Bill Bondsmen "Disaster Prone"
Comments
You hit the nail on the head. Some very boring trad punk parts, and some very exciting post-punk parts. What a strange combination.
7.14.2010 | By Invisible Oranges