1.27.21 by Matty McPherson
Post-Punk is in crisis!
Instead of improvising to find new exciting terrain, the kids have taken to deriving this sound to its “type beat” status. BLEH! Meanwhile, the seculars and science skeptics continue to cast doubts on the merits of Math Rock! As if this music actually involves calculators and computers and not a big brain! How can we move past these quandaries and do they perhaps involve a little TV-7 FV?! For Pet Peeves (aka Alex Maerbach and Joe Cavaliere), the answer is a resounding YES.
Mild Fantasy Violence shipped in October’s 4 tape bundle on Personal Archives. One foot is steeped in the improvisations Personal Archives is known for; the “songs” are really just a holy trinity of amped up speedy fast guitar, thump-thump-thump drums, and spoken word interludes. It is high octane. Blind listens literally pull a wombo-combo–you’ll find yourself latching onto one of Maerbach’s wry, winding riggs as Cavaliere accelerates the drums to their breakpoints, before suddenly SNAP! “It’s gone”. Yet it always shifts right back into place, never failing to look forward, as you (the listener) stayed locked into its hypnotic pacing.
The tape has a wickedly amped up approach to punk, even as it likes to stretch out into the 7 minute mark. Sometimes, Cavaliere tries to throw in as many drum fills as he can, and the result is like finding the secret zone in a level and blasting all the baddies (“Bonus Area (Unlocked)”). Other times, both Maerbach and Cavaliere put on their best syncopated feet forward and see how long they can hold it together before it all falls to shambles (“Routine”). Whatever the case, there’s no shortage of noise nor excitement at where the tape leads.
The mending of those improv and punk spheres make the tape a rewarding left-field punk excursion if you have been waiting for a danceable punk that is trimmed of all the fat. Especially if you love an excessive amount of killer loops and mathy maneuvers across its 8 tracks.
Pro-dubbed cassette in an edition of 50!
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