Haram
< author: aircraft >
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\ Haram \ Self-Titled \ Label: Lovitt Release Date: 03/14/06 \ |
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It was almost three years ago that pg. 99 broke up. In mourning, the punk rock community heralded the late Virginia band by selling all of their merchandise at over-inflated prices. While kids all over the coast were busy hording pg. 99 merch on ebay, they were too busy to notice that the second generation of pg. 99 bands (which had been in exsistence for years already) were slowly but surely disbanding as well. In fact, it was months before anybody really noticed that Majority Rule and City of Caterpillar weren’t playing anymore. Not far down the road Crestfallen disbanded as well.
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Now, luckily for the ebay crowd and the true fans alike, the kids that originally formed all of these bands are just as prolific as ever. Soon Mannequin, Forensics, and the Hissing Choir were making ripples (if not waves). By spring of 2004 Malady breathed a new life into the Herndon, VA family and eventually became the first of the post-pg. 99 band to release a full length since the break up. That Level Plane release was solid, but the band was short-lived. I had the good fortune to catch them twice, once in Richmond with Is This Real?, This Ship Will Sink, and The Set Up; and again in Baltimore with Envy and a new band called Haram.
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Haram were rumored to be the new Majority Rule band. When the four-piece called it quits they picked up the pieces again and formed practically the same band all over again. IT was only their third show at this point, and they only had three songs. They play a more relaxed version of the punk rock than the rest of their kin, but with all of the same ethics and aesthetics. Haram was less aggressive, but still somehow noisy and rauctious. They immediately reminded me of Dischord styled punk rock, but with a hint of that Northern Virginia creativity and noise. They aren’t all too dissimilar to early Q and Not U or even Malady. Elements of San Fransisco post-punk and New York minimalism shine through as well. I happily picked up a demo and found myself literally laughing out loud at parts of it. These guys know how to write.
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A little more than a year has passed and I’d been waiting to hear what they’d come up with since summer. Dissappointment wasn’t an option at this point; I just wanted to see what these guys would come up with given a year to grow. Two of the demo tracks appear on the full length, and sound slightly more polished. The other nine new ones cover the same ground, but in exciting detail. Still, bits of Drive Like Jehu, Sonic Youth, and Fugazi pop up, but all in seemless manners; crafted and tamed expertly. Basically, these guys have mastered their craft, and this is their hour.
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Tracklisting:
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1. Sale
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2. Out Of Tune
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3. Slob
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4. Fade Away
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5. Make It Up
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6. Deal
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7. Plastic Hearts
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8. Disease | mp3 |
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9. Mountain Of Youth
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10. Clean Sweep
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11. Scar Chest
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By the way, the vinyl is clear and beautiful, with a limited, silk-screened cover.