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The situation is not an easy one. Once you are in, you are in for good and there is no way back. You can’t undo the deed. Picture this scenario: you meet another band at a free showcase for inexperienced bands. The style of their band is similar to that of yours. Maybe you even frequent the same barbershop. At the very least, even if sonically you are way far apart, the description, well-used by all to describe the sound of either, is the same. Camaraderie has been established. A couple of beers and maybe a joint later you have all come to an agreement that a split album is the way to go. It saves money to both parties. Everything is split. There will be less money to go around, but chances are, there won’t be any money to go around regardless. Fast forward a few weeks, the material is out and you feel legit. Suddenly, the idea doesn’t sound so good anymore. But you were drunk. Maybe high. And the whole deal seemed like a good idea then. Now? Mmmhhh, not so much. Why? The other band sucks!
The feeling is similar if the label proposes. You want to get the word out there. You can’t wait for the world to enjoy your music. The world deserves you. You have a voice that can finally be heard beyond the stupid coffee shop you are sick of playing. And in these days of skinny cows, two, three and maybe four and five labels split the costs in releases that get printed in all formats available. Including, in ghost format; read; digital. Maybe, you are not so happy after all. It probably would have been a better idea to wait. To keep your horses in the stable until you are a stallion. Fuck the pony!
The scenario described above can’t be used to perfectly picture the way UK’s Lavotchkin must have felt. They have at least two recordings preceding this split and from what I see, two more following it. Needless to say this quintet has been around the block. Their take on hardcore punk is extremely driven. It is free of artifices. They don’t believe in complications and are probably, pretty bad at math. So they forge ahead with more control than abandon and hammer out three solid tracks. Even when they move at mid tempo, like on “Abandon/Introspection”, their shit sounds rounded. There is a hammering passage in this tune. Good stuff.
Stylistically both bands are definitely playing the same field. But Lavotchkin overpowers Crocus on several levels. Firstly, Lavotchkin’s vocalist Simon Tittley has this almost raspy growl. As it should be, is full of rage and ire while Crocus’ vocalist who may or may not go by the moniker Hard Eggs, is totally one dimensional. His approach is just as irate, but lacks depth and hues of gray. Hopefully, you catch my drift. Their half sounds forced too. While Lavotchkin let the music flow, the lads of Crocus extricate these three songs with pliers. By the time, the whole thing is out we have a hodgepodge or better said, fragments of different songs that have been randomly pasted together and that fuck the flow that good music must have. Adding insult to injury, the bass is so high in the mix it's only fitting for a funk band. Unsurprisingly, the best moments reside when the band simply rocks out, like on the end of “Fear of Water.”
Lavotchkin MySpace
Crocus MySpace
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