V/A - Hello Sir

Label: Hello Sir

Year: 2004

One day Mr. Double Jimmy James Joyce will no doubt give this release a proper write-up over on his Beyond Failure blog, as it features the work of three Athens (kinda Atlanta), Georgia bands who were active in the recent past.

Until that day, you are stuck with this write-up, which could end up containing fart jokes. You never know.

The label Hello Sir has a stranglehold on Athens based math rock/moody indie/angular post-punk of the Aughties, so it should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with these bands that they would be showcased via this label. The bands I am alluding to are, Maserati, Cinemechanica, and We Versus The Shark. You may have never heard of these dudes (and one dude with a vag), or maybe you heard of Maserati in relation to the unfortunate passing of their drummer Jerry Fuchs, but you should have heard of them. If you are a reader of this blog, you should have downloaded the Atlanta "New Noise" compilations that I made and posted awhile back, because two of these bands were on there. But, maybe you missed that, and maybe you need to know what you're potentially getting into here.

Alright, I'll tell you.

Maserati play the most layered and subtle of the three bands. Their songs are big languid droning pretty pieces that float along on shimmering guitars, propelled by a driving rhythm section that keeps shit moving. It's never boring, in fact it's compelling, which is kind of a weird way to describe music. As in, what is it "compelling" me to do? Listen longer? Hmmm, I need to work on my music journalism.

Cinemechanica play more "mathy" math rock. It sounds like it could have been belched out of some Louisville bar circa 1990, and that's a compliment. Start/stops, wiry guitar lines, and off-tempos, you know what I mean, right? There are some shouty vocals thrown in to switch things up.

We Versus The Shark are the heaviest of the three bands, and their music should appeal to most readers of this page. It hits all the right notes, and it's a shame they haven't made more of a stink outside of Athens, because they rule pretty hard at what they do, and what they do rules pretty hard.

So there you have it, a nice little compilation of under-appreciated rock bands. Not too many of those out there huh? I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and here's that fart joke I promised:

What did the maxi-pad say to the fart?

You are the wind beneath my wings.

Hey-oh!

DL