Evergreen
Self-titled CD
Temporary
Residence Ltd.
Genres: indie rock, garage punk, dance-punk
Temporary Residence Ltd.
PO Box 11390
Portland OR 97211
Jan 26 - Feb 1 2004 |
Ah,
Evergreen. The long lost chapter of the post-Slint
aftermath. We all remember Brian McMahan's The For
Carnation, Britt Walford and The Breeders, and of
course David Pajo's solo project, Aerial M. But
everyone always seems to forget Evergreen, the other
band that Britt Walford was involved in, the one that came after
The Breeders.
This reissue of their sole 1996 Hi-Ball album might find people
wondering how they could have missed it. The band's raucous,
gritty garage punk sound has only gained in relevancy since its
release. A strong dark atmosphere, quite Slint-esque in
mood, is utilized, although the band doesn't let this keep them
from rocking. Despite hoisting a haze of creepy grit over their
music, Evergreen still satisfy because of their sheer energy.
Though there are calmer moments, this album, overall, is an absolutely
wicked dance-punk record - Evergreen sounds like a primitive
(which is in no way meant as a bad thing) precursor to Liars,
with less funk and more punk.
Though some of the songs on this album are better than others,
there is not a dud to be found. "Solar Song" and
"Glass Highway" are two of the best; the former is a
crunchy, plodding rocker that is suffocating in its explosive
guitar/percussion onslaught, while the latter is a brooding, moving
dance-punk epic with some gnarly "yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah" vox.
They will get you moving.
If you bought one reissue in 2003, it better have been this
one. If you haven't already, go out and track this down. Evergreen's attitude-packed, fiercely melodic sound
may very well never go out of style. Play this sucker loud.
90%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 13 tracks, distributed by Midheaven
Mailorder, released 2003] |