Reviews

Stonehenge

La Fraction De L’Autre Côté LP

The last LA FRACTION album came out in 2007. I drove the band on a North American tour that summer and I saw them play a few dozen times, so I should have known what to expect when I dropped the needle on De L’Autre Cote fifteen years later in 2022, but I was not prepared. Not at all. When Magali’s vocals opened “Tout Va Bien,” I fucking cried. It wasn’t something I could control, and I didn’t try. There is a magic here, and it’s not something I can describe, but the band sounds (appropriately) older, wiser, and more angry than they ever have before. Their fourth full-length is arguably their best—Magali sounds like she is doing battle with DeDe’s guitar while Boris’s drums push everything forward. It’s a perfect band, really…it always has been. And while I knew that before I started listening to this record, I was still, somehow, not at all prepared. Bands (particularly punk bands) are simply not supposed to get better with age, but LA FRACTION have defined themselves with this album, and I feel like I don’t want to listen to anything else. Ever.

Naatlo Sutila Naatlo Sutila LP

NAATLO SUTILA is a hardcore band from Bordeaux, but rather than playing straightforward hardcore, they decided to mix their old school sound with deathrock and anarcho-punk. The outcome fucking rocks. From the opening drumbeat and bass chug of “Voices” to the thrashing speed of “Hell” and all the way to the end of the CRASS-like feeling of “Revolution,” NAATLO SUTILA presents a romp of a self-titled album. As a three-piece, it’s amazing the power this trio is able to generate and deliver. If you get a chance, definitely give this one a listen.

Accidente / Nightwatchers split LP

Genuine question here: are these the same bands with different singers? They both sound identical sans vocals, and even then, they both sing with the same inflection. It almost seems like these folks sat around and wrote these songs together. I guess that would be pretty impressive in itself, seeing as one band is from France and the other from Spain. I’ve whined about this in the past, so forgive me if you’ve heard this tirade before, but split albums are really only interesting when you can clearly distinguish the bands from each other. There were times listening through to this album that I didn’t realize it had hopped over into the second half until the singer appeared. Regardless, both bands are quite talented and have obviously taken great care with their songwriting. The production is beautiful, and each side sounds absolutely massive and sweeping. However, there’s nothing really groundbreaking here. I’ve listened through a handful of times and very little has really stuck with me. Closest I can come to a comparison is SUGAR STEMS and MARKED MEN, but they don’t replicate the same type of catchy hooks. Interesting to note that while both bands are from Europe, this LP was mastered at the legendary Sonic Iguana Studios in Indiana.

Radical Kitten Silence is Violence LP

Bare-bones bass and drums provide a pummeling backdrop for the gearhead guitarist to venture off into experimental territory. Pairing post-punk and noise with a DIY fervor reminiscent of TANK GIRL, this band’s got a lot to say, both sonically and lyrically. They rail against societal inequities with dissonant walls of guitar interspersed with vocals that are at times melodic, at times a piercing shriek. Many of these songs start with a musical intro that slowly builds into a crescendo, but I have to say my personal faves are the ones that get right down to business. Songs like “Wrong” and “I Don’t Wanna” showcase just how tight the band is, and have a momentum that is undeniable.

Radical Kitten Uppercat 12″

After their first full-length Silence is Violence from 2020, RADICAL KITTEN is out with their second release Uppercat. Groove-driven post-punk through a queer and feminist lens gives perspective on “No Means No” with lines like “No means no! / Patriarchy fuck off,” and the absolute ripper of a track “Fake as Fuck” that death screams at the end of the line “These two-faced peoples will try to trick anyway / No, I don’t wanna waste my time on them!” There’s some spiky energy at work here, with bobbling bass lines and great drum fills reminiscent of Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat-era MINUTEMEN set to the political fervor of PYLON. Great album. This Toulouse, France trio is one to watch!