Blood Brothers hack and slash through new tunes

By Kylie Wakefield
Collegian Staff
October 18, 2006

Most people tend to dislike screamy, hardcore music. It is almost always reserved to underground music and only attractive to those who follow the scene. But Seattle’s own The Blood Brothers are not normal. In fact, they are genre-bending, rule-breaking, unique young musicians who never cease to please their fans.

Jordan Billie, Johnny Whitney, Morgan Henderson, Cody Votolato and Mark Gajadhar, who started The Blood Brothers in 1997, have since released five full-length albums: This Adultery is Ripe, March On Electric Children, …Burn, Piano Island, Burn, Crimes and now their latest, Young Machetes. All of them are excellent and original in their own way.

Their songs are characteristically fast-paced, distorted by the electric guitars and marked by Billie and Whitney’s unique singing styles. While Billie’s voice always stays low-pitched, Whitney favors screaming in a high-pitched, shrieking tone — probably to keep the listeners on their feet. They have evolved from raw hardcore punk artists to groundbreaking and instrumentally diverse musicians.

The Blood Brothers now appeal to an even larger crowd with their Oct. 9 release, Young Machetes. Unlike many bands these days, they have stayed true to their roots while adding on more to their music through experimentation with different sounds. They frequently use keyboards as well as the standard drum, guitar, bass sound, which perfectly complements their music.

“Laser Life,” the first single released from the album, is a pure example of their innovation. It begins with an almost nightmare-like keyboard solo, fading into a delightfully danceable tune marked by their haunting lyrics.

Whitney sings, “I’m a pound of flesh in a drum machine’s dream / We watch crabs and lobsters eat a dead cop’s throat and stuff our mothers with gutted stereos.” You’ve got to admit, the words may be nonsensical, but they sure do sound cool together.

The rest of the album isn’t too different from the true Blood Brothers’ style of doing things. Track seven, “Spit Shine Your Black Clouds,” incorporates some poppy keyboard riffs, but don’t worry, it’s not too upbeat for the band.

The opening lyrics define the mood of the song: “You’re walking through the forest where they feed the trees broken glass / John Lennon and The Rolling Stones crooning in plastic bags / Spit shine your black luck now, baby.” The band always finds a way to conjure up some strange yet unprecedented lyrics.

Tracks like “Johnny Ripper,” “You’re the Dream Unicorn!” and “Huge Gold AK-47” are the most “old school” Blood Brothers songs on the album, using their earlier, wonderfully noisy hardcore approach to music.

The closer on Young Machetes, “Giant Swan,” is slow-moving and features Whitney wailing over simple guitar chords. A few minutes in, though, the pace speeds up and the screaming once again commences. It’s a beautiful end to yet another terrifyingly good album by The Blood Brothers.

The band’s most dramatic changes came about on their fourth album, Crimes, so they are obviously still continuing that trend. The songs on Young Machetes are easily likable, especially for true fans of the band. And while Young Machetes may not rise up to the high standards set by Crimes, it’s a perfectly composed album for hardcore, punk and whatchamacallit music lovers everywhere. It’s fun to dance to, let out frustrations with, and generally have a good ol’ time.

The Blood Brothers have lasted for nearly 10 years with a modest following, and they aren’t about to conform to the music business’ standards anytime soon.

wakefieldk1@lasalle.edu