END OF LEVEL BOSS
Inside the Difference Engine
(Exile On Mainstream)

ISOLE
Bliss of Solitude
(Napalm)

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE
& THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O
Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo
(Ace Fu)

O'DEATH
Head Home
(Ernest Jenning)

TRAP THEM
Seance Prime
(Deathwish)

DYSRHYTHMIA/ROTHKO
Fractures 

(Acerbic Noise Development)

THE FIRE THE FLOOD
Truth Seekers

(No Sleep)

MORE REVIEWS

This is one of those bands of which I could confidently say….’I didn’t know what to make of them’. Of course, translated to easy English that means ‘I fucking loved it’. Bitter River is all over the place and by that I don’t mean that these dudes are in competition against Mr Bungle to see who goes from circus music to tango faster. I mean that Pygmy Lush have two very distinctive sides, one more beautiful than the other. Which is which? It depends. “Nonsensical Tambourine” starts off via some destructive and anarchic noise rock. There is a big quotient of punk rock in it. Enter the gentle acoustic chords of the second track “Hurt Everything” and the band’s splitting personality accentuates that punk attitude even more. Is it all about laissez-faire? Do as you please, Sterling VA’ s Pygmy Lush certainly take that at face value.

“Hurt Everything” is gentle, soft, and alive. So alive indeed you can hear the organic sounds of more people in the room if you check this out with headphones. This stays intimate with “Universal Order at Omph”, another acoustic track that moves one pace at a time. But the band’s destructive nature couldn’t hold itself back for much longer, “Slave to a Teenager” is not only a terrific title to a hideous idea, but an electrically loud song with heavy guitars and a permanent screech, like the noise of metal colliding with…more metal. Can I say grunge without offending anyone? No shit, it is there, it is here, a disheveled level of freedom with the same punk aesthetics. And then one of the most beautiful and haunting tunes I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in a looooong time, “Big Black River”. It’s like Leonard Cohen, was he a bit more of an extrovert and had his ass not been covered with superstars’ kisses.  Then things get ugly again, (but do not forget that ugly is good), “Send Bombs” is like a really really lazy fat dude. Try to make him walk when all he wants to do is lay down. Like a beast dragging its feet the song pushes itself apparently through treacherous terrain. The rest of the record follows suit and never breaks of those two extremes, between gorgeous and haunting acoustic cuts and ugly, noisy and heavy stabs.

MySpace