This Is Real

Fundamental - Demo 2009
If you would've asked me six months ago what I thought about this band of youngster from my local area, I probably would've given you some cocky answer about how 'some kids just try too hard', and how they would probably end up playing the local youthclub for the rest of their carreer. In spite of what I aim for, I can be awefully prejudiced at times. Let's say that I did not really like the idea of another Black Haven/Rise And Fall-ish band emerging in the scene, plus some personal stuff that kind of got in the way of a good understanding. I'm mentioning this because I want to make clear on which foot I started to follow Fundamental, which was obviously the wrong one.

Only a couple of weeks before their first show (and a rather bad rehearsalsong they put on their myspace page), Levy (the singer) asked me if I was interested in playing bass for them. I was completely taken by surprise, and because of my reservedness towards the band and something concerning former lovers, it never happened, but the result was that by talking to this guy I was forced to acknowledge that he wasn't half as clueless as I thought he would be. Anyway, my curiosity was triggered and I decided to attend one of their shows in a local club. Plagued by the growing pains of starting band, they nevertheless managed to leave a lasting impression on me through their unrestrained enthousiasm and the apparent seriousness with which they were approaching the whole thing. You could tell that they meant it.

Several months later, Fundamental finally released their first demo recording, which finally brings me to the point of this 'review'. Where Rise And Fall needed an entire song to condemn all the liars and fakers to oblivion, these kids manage to do it in a one and a halfminute intro. A simple, but horribly effective stroke of the bass builds the tension, until the rest of the band comes in, leaving just enough breathingspace for the singer to scream "this is real!" from the top of his lungs. Three words and nothing remains to be said. 'Valor' is the first real song. Simplicity and effectiveness, spiced up with some really cool ideas, remain the keywords throughout. For kids as young and unexperienced as they are, they manage to avoid a lot of pitfalls that are fatal to most starting bands by sticking to the magic formula of putting only a couple of good ideas in one song and not stacking up one mediocre and too far-fetched riff upon another. 'Whole' is more melodic and straightforward in its approach, almost catchy. The song never manages to achieve its goal (whatever that should be) but it gets really damn close. Final track 'Ill-Fated' starts of with a bassriff that makes me want to punch myself because I didn't come up with it. Only thing I don't really like here is the 'dun dun'-stuff in the verse, but that's just me. The ending is as epic as you would expect it to be (nice, slow burning riff, topped off with passionate and almost heartfellt screaming, you know how it rolls).

You can tell these guys have not just been worshipping their influences imagining how cool they would look like on stage playing this kind of music, but they have obviously been listening carefully and that is giving them a headstart towards competition. En plus, they are the prototype of a real hardcoreband: not pretending to be groundbreaking, but taking what they know and doing what they can to give that anger and frustration inside a voice and a let-out. And most importantly, despite some minor flaws, pulling it off. One can only hope they won't be the next band in line to call it quits before ever having the chance to come into its own, because if this recording figures as a herald for things to come, chances are they still have a lot more in store.

Myspace
thanks to whoever took the picture

Today Is Green And Tomorrow Is Blue

Last night I went to the Glasses show in Ghent. I had arranged to do a short interview with them for the ultimate hipstermagazine in the Western world, so we met in some kind of souplounge no too far from the venue a couple of hours before the show. Since the band arrived way to early there was plenty of time for some silly pictures and sillier questions.
It's always a gamble when you really like a band and then you have to interview them. You really don't want them to turn out to be assholes, since it would get all that good music tainted. On the other hand, it's always nice to meet the people behind music that touched you in any way. Luckily, these guys and girl were among the nicest people out of Germany I ever met. The interview went smooth and afterwards we went together to the best place in Belgium to eat French fries, De Frietketel. They played a memorable floorshow (you have to love the spirit behind that) at the Frontline too that night. Check out the next issue of vice-magazine for the interview.

Glasses myspace

The Body Writhes and Twists

A TAAS appreesh-post
I don't really get how they do it. I hate all the ingrediënts - an overload on keyboardtunes, anachronical 70ies vibes, spastic nonsense and stupid long songtitels about trains, drugs, chickens and whatnot - yet the final recipe manages to send shivers down my spine over and over again. Take for example the part in 'Mescaline Eyes', where the music comes to a sudden halt and Snere yells '..and in all there's nothing left' over the unexpected opening abyss below. Or the machinegun-bass that kickstarts 'The Shit Sisters'. That's only what I can recall from the top of my head right now.
The first time i saw them live was two summers ago at the Flufffest in the Czech Republic. It was the evening of the last day. Almost three days of good and bad hardcore, dirt, filth and laughter had gone by, the sun was setting and there was this orange hue all over the place. Some member of the band had stepped into some dogshit, and by the time the second song started, the stage was covered with it, with the singer rolling in it shirtless. How's that for intensity and punk-spirit, you designercrusts?



These Arms Are Snakes is one of those rare bands that makes me want to dance and singalong when I'm listening to them on any kind of public transportation, or that makes me want to halt strangers and say 'listen to that part right here! Isn't that just fucking genius?'. Luckily, shyness is my saviour.

Come Down In This World

Oathbreaker - s/t MCD (2008, Holy Shit Records)

About a year ago, a friend of mine asked me out of the blue if I wanted to go on a roadtrip to Germany with his new band. The plan was to drive for 12 hours, play one 30-minute show in an obscure punk club downtown and return early next morning, another 12 hours back.
I have to admit that I didn’t really care that much about the band, that was then called No Recess, since I wasn’t at all in a hardcore ‘mood’ at the time. Also, these kids seemed to be the very epicentre of the local hardcorescene then, and when confronted with such vast amounts of ‘coolness’ I almost automatically cringe. Throw in the fact that their frontman was in fact a girl – not a dirty and smelly crust-girl, but a ‘real’ girly-girl – and maybe you could understand why my point about this band was already made before I heard a single note. Yes, I can be that narrow minded at times.

But in the end, I did end up in their van, because sometimes I can see past the horizon of my own little world and understand that my prejudgements are not necessarily true ALL the time. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have started this review with this stupid little story if they were, because it just wouldn’t have been worth the effort. Fact is that from the moment our absurd little trip started, I had to adjust my view radically. In short, these kids were living the hardcore dream all other 17 year olds vicariously lived through worshipping bad local metalcore bands. And it wasn’t as if they had to force it or something, it just came naturally. Also, their singer wasn’t at all the arrogant little ‘look-at-me-i-sing-in-a-hardcore-band’-scenegirl I took her for, but really nice, and kind of putting my own inner arrogance to shame. Plus, she baked ridiculously delicious vegan cookies for the trip.



Not too long after that, No Recess ‘disbanded’, throwing a memorable last show in the smallest venue in Flanders, on the beach, in front of a sweaty and crazy crowd, only to rise from its ruins a couple of months later as Oathbreaker, sporting a new drummer and a seemingly more ‘professional’ approach. Another couple of months later, their first self-titled 7” and MCD is a fact.

I’m pretty sure they won’t like to be compared to No Recess, but really, it’s kind of inevitable. Although better on all fronts, there’s little denying that Oathbreaker has No Recess at its very core. I don’t see why that should necessarily be a bad thing. It only means the youthfulness and recklessness hasn’t yet gone to waste while upgrading to ‘smarter’ riffs and overall better songwriting.

The album starts of with long layers of feedback that recall euhm, almost every hardcore record that came out in Belgium for the last two years. Soon though, the guitar starts doing this cool tapping, building up tension towards a nice mid-tempo riff. The lead on top of it is nice and well executed, but I would have loved to see how it could have developed into a full song, instead of a short intro.
Next song is ‘Shelter’, which can also be heard on their myspace. No doubt the best song on the record, musicwise and lyricwise. The intensity and anger is all over the place, finding anything but consolation in the cathartic breakdown at the end.
‘Ashes’ is an interlude that starts of with some clean picking. Something strange happens here though. All of a sudden there are 50 seconds of silence before the next song. I don’t really see the point there.
‘Downfall’ and ‘Mirror’ are two very good and enjoyable tracks, with some standout guitarwork, though they never reach the same level as 'Shelter'.

Overall, Oathbreaker doesn’t seem to hold any pretension of breaking new ground here, just delivering 3 pieces of above par quality hardcore in the vein of Rise And Fall and Disfear, but delivering it with a conviction that makes them stand out of the heaps of similar sounding bands coming out nowadays. I’m really stoked to see what the future will bring for them.

Oathbreaker Myspace
Holy Shit Records

All I Know: living on borrowed time

Hardcorekids seem to end up in the most diverse musical genres. If it's not hiphop (the Beastie Boys), it could be melancholic singer-songwriter-stuff (Elliott Smith), or nerdy electronic music (Moby). But 80's classic rock? That might be stretching it a bit. Not for the guys and girl in All I Know though. Starting out as a regular poppunk band and releasing two more than decent demo's over the course of the last two years, they now show themselves ready for the big world with the release of their debutalbum 'Vanity Kills'.

Released by themselves out of impatience, the album is a treat to anyone with an ear for catchy hooks and poppy melodies, in short, for anyone who likes his music 'big' and instant-stadiumtour-ready. The band at this point consists of Amely Mondy (bass), Michaël Neyt (guitar and vocals), Ward Dufraimont (guitar and vocals) and latest member Dries Van Dyck (drum). Michaël, Ward and Dries are all ex-member of more or less famous Belgian hardcorebands, such as Liar, Firestone, Convict and Bloodshed. 

During the recording of the album, while the band was locked up in a notorious studio in the centre of Brussels for several months, they managed to ensnare the cream of the crop of Belgian popmusicians to play along on some songs, thus showing a band more confident than ever of its own work. The time was right to ask main songwriter and founding member Ward Dufraimont (26) some questions about Bon Jovi, pissing people off and veganism.

First off, what inspired you to start All I Know at the time, when you were still playing with Liar?

Dufraimont: "I had been playing in metalcore bands for yeas. I needed a way to get some other musical influences off my chest. It kinda started as a thing on the side, we probably rehearsed for close to two years without ever thinking about playing shows or whatnot. It was just something I enjoyed doing with friens, it didn't get 'serious' until the Liar thing had run its course."

AIK used to be more of a poppunkband a couple of years ago, but with 'Vanity Kills' you seem to have changed styles pretty drastically. Is this the kind of music you wanted to make with the band all along, or is it something that just came naturally?

"None of us follow the whole poppunk thing anymore. We wanted our first full length album to be something that represented what we ourselves would enjoy listening to. Everyone in AIK is very much into classic melodic rock, with big choruses, big hooks, big everything. The first few songs we wrote for the album were pretty much in the vein of our previous work. Early on though, we noticed we weren't enjoying it as much as we used to. The only solution was to just go with what came naturally, instead of desperately trying to write what people expected from us. It's not like we look down on the poppunk thing now though. It's just that there's so many bands out there doing that, and some of them are doing a way better job than we ever did. AIK as a band decided that we were going to do whatever we wanted, which in itself is a very 'punk' thing to do." (smiles)

You used to play in Liar and Firestone, both bands are rather uncomparable to AIK. Back then, did you enjoy the music you were playing? How was it different from how you're experiencing things now?

"The biggest difference is that Firestone and Liar were two bands that had been going on for years before I joined them. I had the privilige to twice join a band that I had been looking up to and drooling over for years. The other side of the coin was that I was playing someone else's music. At first you're happy playing in an established band. After a while though I started losing interest in that type of music, and I was also craving for more control over music and the decision-making. I wanted my own thing I guess.

Another difference is that with AIK i had to start from scratch, and I had to do everything myself, which meant a rough start and a lot of hard work, but I've learned it's more gratifying in the end."

Tell me about your vegan-straightedge lifestyle.

"First off, I'd like to make it clear that AIK is not a band with a 'message'. It's not an issue for us, we are 4 individuals with different opinions on just about anything. I obviously have a lot of respect for bands that stand for something, and convey that message in their lyrics. In AIK we just focus on the music though, we'd like to think that people can have a good time with our music. An escape from the pressures of everyday-life.

For me personally, it doesn't really matter how you label your, or my, personaly lifestyle. We all have our opinions and ideals, and we try our best to live up to them day in day out. I believe that every living being has a right to live its life without any other stepping on its rights. That's why I choose not to consume any animal products, and I stay away from everything that's even remotely connected to animal testing or suffering. I also stay away from any intoxicants that may cloud my mind or my judgement, be it alcohol, nicotine, drugs,.. Aside from the above, I also try to live as healthy as possible, so in my diet I stay away from sugar, artificial colorings, cafeine, ... I could go on all day. It's about doing what you can, I might not always succeed. I don't claim to be perfect, but at least I try."

Back to the music then. AIK's sound is obviously influenced by artists such as Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and Roxette, to name a few. What's up with your passion for them? How did they influence you?

"I grew up on classic late 80's melodic rock bands like GNR, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, ... It's still my favourite kind of music. My record collection is very broad, I can enjoy any good song regardless of the genre. There's rock records, there's also metal, punk, hiphop, pop, ... One thing sticks out though: I'm a sucker for melody and hooks. 'Vanity Kills' is obviously influenced by classic 80's rock. It can go from production ideas, to song-structure, vocal arrangements, anything. Music that sonically sounds great, that you can rock out to, that makes you feel good. Basically, escapism from real life."

Isn't there any danger that people will regard the music as an anachronism, as being outdated?

"I know what you're getting at. We're toying with a style of music that has been largely extinct or out of the public eye for the past 20 years. People make fun of the 'hair-metal' bands I grew up on all the time. The 'poodle' haircuts and the style of clothing don't work in this day and age. You don't hear these bands on the radio anymore, they don't have hitsingles, even though most of them have continued to make albums. Face it though, good music will speak for itself. Bands like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi still sell out arenas all over the world. If you remain true to what you believe in, and you do it well, you have a shot at getting somewhere. And even if you don't, at least you had the guts to go out there and go against the trend of the day. In my opinion, that alone deserves respect."

How does the band exist as a song-producing entity?

"From the very start I've been writing most of our music and lyrics. At the time the other people in the band had little to no experience being in a band. Over time though, Michaël (Neyt) has been writing more and more. He has 4 out of 12 songs on the new album. It's a challenge to try and top eachother's work. It keeps me on my toes."

What's your main goal with the band at this point?

"AIK basically has a policy of 'the sky is the limit', whatever that means. One thing that always bugged me about the hardcore scene is that you're basically playing for the same people over and over again. With AIK, we can pretty much play to every possible crowd. It's radio-friendly music that even your mother might enjoy, yet it's not contrived like a lot of popbands these days. It still has an edge to it. We have big plans for this new record, we're going to do everything in our power to get it out there to as much people as possible. If we fail, at least we tried!"

Shows have always been some sort of hit or miss, at least back in the days where I would attend a lot of them. I remember people shouting things at the stage and even throwing stuff. Did it ever get really out of hand?

"If you're in a band, there's always gonna be people that don't like what you're doing. My advice is: if you can't take it, don't do it. It'll drive you crazy. I've learned to deal with it. I laugh about it now. The way I look at it now is 'what have YOU done?'.

We've had our share of shit thrown our way, believe me. AIK has done some downright silly things in the past, and we got ridiculed a lot. We've never been comfortable with the stuck-up over-serious atmosphere at a lot of shows, and I guess it was our way of dealing with that. A common thread among the criticism on AIK is the 'you are gay' and 'you sing like a girl' stuff. Then we'd play a Britney song or a Clouseau song to piss people off. We've had stuff thrown our way and people have threatened to kick our skinny asses, but so far we're still alive.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to whether you can deliver the goods musically or not, and I think a lot of the nay-sayers would have to eat their words if they took the time to check out the new album."

Lets end this with a personal question: what kind of person would you consider yourself to be, and how does your music reflect that?

"I don't think my personality shines through much in my music. Maybe if someone would be crazy enough to study my lyrics, you might get a slight idea. I'd like to think that to my friends I'm a fun guy to be around. I can be a pain in the ass though. I'm very opinionated, I don't make friends easily and I treasure my time alone. On the other hand I'm always in for a laugh. Life's too short anyway."

Visit All I Know at their myspace.

Bandpicture by Stijn Willekens. B/w picture Ward by Dieter De Volder @ De Kreun, Kortrijk.

there's always tomorrow...

until you wake up and you don't feel your limbs anymore.

Anyway, i've been slacking on this thing for far too long now and it's somehow sad to see this become another one of my many great plans that never come into being because of me.. euhm.. being me, and pretty much lacking the energy or missing the point to take matters into my own hands and stop thinking about things and just start doing them. But they say it's never too late to turn the tide (do they? say that? meh), so i decided to start updating this blog more frequently, starting ...nnnnow, with some general ideas in the back of my head, ready to work out and plans for some very interesting interviews in the very near future. So stay tuned for that.

Low fires

lovers lost between the sheets. how i long for time to stop and jump against the concrete of my heart. in these rooms the world resounds. i am not there. am i still mine? this longing got the best of me. every move i never made. every door i never closed. taking me further from the man i was once aspiring to be.