At The Price Of The Union - The Mechanics Of Wind

Label: Buddy System
Year: 1999

Alumni of the Atlanta house show scene at a time when hardcore bands were adding in all kinds of non-hardcore elements, then spazzing out, or cleaning up...or sometimes both, there were a group of bands graduating from that period (thankfully...that period didn't age very well [that's what she said {gross}]), and into a more mature post-hardcore sound. The sound that could take them out of the basements and into the bars and clubs (all ages shows, 'natch), to play with the bigger touring bands coming around, like say, June of 44 or something.
At The Price Of The Union had that driving D.C.-ish sound that bands on Art Monk had, and you could tell they fell under the tutelage of local heros hal al Shedad, as you can hear some of that math-y groove as well. And historical connection: Ed Rawls (that's "Fast" Eddie Rawls to you) who played guitar in hal al Shedad recorded this record with Lewis Lovely at Red Lab studios which has since become Living Room recording studio, still under Ed's watchful hand.
Craig Dempsey, who plays guitar in this band, is a hell of a player, and this record shows just how well he could pull together serpentine lines with staccato riffing to forge way better song structures than the post hardcore bands in most every other city in America at that time were...forging. If you can get into some Hoover, or Glendale, or Crownhate Ruin, or Fuel, or whatnot, then you'll figure this out.
Hail Atlanta!

DL