Oasis Is Back And So Am I: Reviews Of Recent Releases By Local Bands, Pt. 139

Knowso - Pulsating Gore - Sorry State Records - 11 songs - LP, digital

The last we heard from Knowso was a few years back with the “Specialtronics/Green Vision” album. They haven’t changed much since then— at least on the record, it’s still Nathan Ward on everything and Jayson Gerycz on drums and they’re keeping with about the same sound as they’ve had. That said, this albums feels more focused than some of the previous. There’s an overarching anger to this record— some of it feels downright apocalyptic. Or, at the very least, like the soundtrack for late stage capitalism. Or something like that. It kicks off right away with the title track, a classic in their off-time, very syncopated, strange version of punk. Who would’ve thought Knowso would be talking about Kierkegaard? “Do The Work” is one of the songs here, along with “Drink From The Lake” and “Last Of The Punks,” among others, that could easily come across as too goofy or too serious in the hands of a less capable group, but Knowso does a great job with making it not feel like a drag while still making sure you know they mean it. There are some great little touches on this record too, from the almost background lead guitar in “Heavy Hauler” or the vaguely triumphant sounding chiming guitar that comes in a few times during “Last Of The Punks” and juxtaposes very nicely with the decidedly not triumphant lyrics. “Saudi Royalty” is a favorite here— tell me you don’t have “treat me like a baby ‘cause you hate me” going through your head for a while after hearing it. The almost robotic quality that these songs sometimes have works particularly well on the final track, “Where Do You Fit?” which is another favorite here. Overall, while this is a dark record and, as I mentioned earlier, feels at times like a report on the end of the world, it doesn’t leave you feeling hopeless, so it’s balanced very well. It doesn’t really sound like many other punk records that I know but is certainly a punk record in both message and execution. Honestly, it might be my favorite Knowso record yet and there’s some tough competition for that. Also, the LP includes a large insert with lyrics and further Nathan Ward art (my favorite section is “The Roots Grow Thru You”), which should make it an even more essential purchase. 4/5

(sorrystaterecords.bandcamp.com)

Non Bruises - Non Bruises - self-released - 9 songs - CD, cassette, digital

This was sent to me a while back and got misplaced— very sorry it’s taken me this long to get the review out. This band is a sort of supergroup: Mike Uva (a solo artist for the most part), Carol Yachanin (The Tough & Lovely), Andy Stibora (the underrated Ditch), and Elliott Hoffman (whose name I did not recognize but who has played on a couple Scarcity Of Tanks records). Mostly, Non Bruises play a somewhat mellow style of alternative rock— it gets noisy at times but never gets loud or fast enough that it pushes into punk territory. I don’t think they want to be punk necessarily, but there is a sort of lack of dynamic range at points on here, though I suspect this is a recording problem rather than a band problem. Two of my favorites here were “Cracker Jack,” which is a good slower one that stretches out past six minutes and the catchy “Our Intentions Are Good,” which is a solid indie rocker (and on which you can really hear Carol Yachanin’s backing vocals, which gives it some pep). “Full Flask” is a cool almost mathy one which takes three minutes to get to where the vocals come in (by which point it’s almost gotten psychedelic) and then ends somewhat abruptly. I also enjoyed “Everyday,” which was just a solid alternative rock tune. This album is pretty top-loaded— all of the tracks I thought were highlights were in the first half. This is probably made more noticeable by the inclusion of an instrumental and another six minute song to close things out. I think this band is certainly likeable and there were songs and moments I enjoyed here, but as an album this didn't work for me as well as it could’ve. 3/5

(nonbruises.bandcamp.com)

Are you a local-ish band? Do you have a record out? Email vaguelythreatening@gmail.com or send it directly to the Observer: PO Box 770203, Lakewood, OH 44107.