Past Lives

Strange Symmetry (8.08, Suicide Squeeze)

Byline: The non-earsplitting, nightmare causing half of Blood Brothers.

For: Hot Snakes, Unwound, Drive Like Jehu

The Blood Brothers, love them or hate them, were undeniably talented. When these unlikely torchbearers broke up the reverberation around the music community was felt deeply. Although 10 years deep, The Blood Brothers still felt like a band in their prime, Young Machetes was an exciting step with more focus on percussion with their trademark math time signatures and Jordan Billie and Johnny Whitney's dueling vocals. Then, the blood ran cold, Johnny Whitney and Cody Voltalato formed Jaguar Love and Jordan Billie and his camp headed into the studio and recorded Strange Symmetry. Past Lives borrows heavily from their Seattle elders borrowing equal parts shouted vocals and crazy time signatures of Unwound and the sonic ferocity of hardcore experimentalists Botch. I listened to this EP 4 times today and each time found myself enjoying it more and more. I kept on bracing myself for Johnny Whitney's impossibly high pitched voice to shriek at me during one of the pummeling time change ups or choruses, when it didn't happen I held my head up high, excited for a worthy post-Blood Brothers successor. Long live Past Lives.

"Chrome Life" at the Capitol Hill Block Party 2008. A Set I sadly missed.