Melt ya face
...and then sometimes there are times when you need something hard, loud, and just furious. Cinemechanica are a four-piece from Athens, Georgia - best known as a breeding ground for indie rock, but apparently there is a scene going on there for the harder edged side of things. They get compared to other math-y, post-hardcore bands like Drive Like Jehu (and Don Cab and Faraquet), but they try to shrug it off and do their best at attempting to be a 'unique voice' in their songcraft and playing. In the tiny press release thing that came with their album, The Martial Arts, they they say that they love those bands because of their uniqueness, and that they are just trying to convey the belief that "getting your face melted at a rock show is timeless." Damn straight.
Anyway, it sure sounds like they play like hell - ridic-tight rhythm section, Joel Hatstat on bass and Mike Albanese on drums (the basslines are straight fierce and the drums are super tight), and the dueling guitars (Bryant Williamson and Andy Pruett) are basically perfect. Oh, Bryant and Andy both sing/shout too, so I guess there's dueling vox too.
The Martial Arts, is being released by Athens-based Hello Sir Records, who I had on here a while back with the band Tiger Bear Wolf. The record is just about a half-hour long, but balances the nine tracks pretty evenly between songs with vocals and songs that are just instrumental - the best of which is probably "Get Outta Here Hitler," which just crushes, especially in the final third of its brief four-minutes of length. When it came on at work today I had to fight pretty hard not to just turn it way way up. I don't think my co-workers would really dig it. Oh well.
OK, so anyway, if you're into this sort of thing, hit up the label's store and get your copy. Check the band's website for their show-info, since they say they're "on tour constantly" and try to see them when they steamroll through your town. Also, they've got another song available on the site for you to check out, and you can check out the video for "I'm Tired of Paul McCartney."
Rock.