Reviews

Scum

The Apostles Rising From the Ashes EP

The APOSTLES are enigmatic. They are one of the most articulate and politically oriented bands I’ve ever heard, but despite their obvious intelligence, they’re a bit ominous. Their political philosophy is a strange amalgam of progressive (anti-establishment, anti-government, seemingly anti-racist) notions, and they advocate violence to overthrow the system. Musically, this record is raw, abrasive, punky, folky, experimental, and atypical, but the APOSTLES’ significance lies in their provocative ideas.

The Apostles The Curse of the Creature & The Giving of Love Costs Nothing EPs

Right, here we go. The APOSTLES have released two new self-produced EPs, one with highly intelligent rants (The Curse of the Creature), the other with both sensible and very misguided rants (The Giving of Love Costs Nothing). But since we’ve given them space elsewhere in this issue to air their sometimes inconsistent views, I’ll concentrate on the music here. They have a droning, mid-tempo punkish attack with primitive two-chord guitar and half-spoken, half-sung vocals. sort of like SIX MINUTE WAR’s old garagy, semi-experimental style. Some of the more basic numbers click (such as “Our Mother the Earth…”); others meander about too much and don’t do much for me.