The Kidcrash

The Kidcrash have to be responsible for one of the most random, bizarre transformations in recent memory. A lot of reviews like to make sure you "forget about everything you know about so and so," but the 2006 demo from this band in question takes the cake and the ice cream. Their last and only full-length so far was described by our site as "a blend of American Football, Braid, and Minus the Bear." From that description you can get a pretty good sense of what the band was doing; however, Demo 06 takes a severe left turn, instead producing intense, raw screamo with post-rock ambition á la Envy.

Demo 06 twists and turns through five tracks in just over a whopping half-hour, but rarely, if ever, will it drift from your conscience. The Kidcrash are as instrumental-dependent as ever but in entirely different maneuvers while still managing to provide a rare dynamic in terms of mood; sometimes we'll be received with a series of riffs that seem unusually upbeat and prog-influenced, while other times the band will dabble impressively in darker territories; it's pretty great when the two somehow converge, though. Complementing all this is the throaty, screamed vocal -- when it rises with the mild climax of the nine-minute opener "A Conduit Rather Than a Vault," it just makes sense. That very next track, "Life Was Real, Vital, Important / Bum Guts," simultaneously exudes an energetic and deliberate flow that stands out mightily as chords pound and a restrained intensity reigns supreme.

While "Life Was Real" does eclipse eight minutes, the ending trilogy all fall within four-to-five minutes apiece yet are no less effective themselves. "The Ground Eats You" sounds like it'll explode in the first minute and a half, but it lets off a bit to build up a new crescendo. "Hypothetical Basking Shark" takes a bit to get going but when it does the track's rather compelling. "Swingsets and Grapes" just builds and builds and it's an absolute sight (well, sound) to listen in on.

If Demo 06 is truly just a demonstration of what's to come in 2007...then Lujo Records has likely lost out on releasing an awesome record this year. The Kidcrash have undergone quite the stylistic makeover and while they weren't necessarily ugly before, they're sure to be the prettiest girl at the ball now.

Stream 3 songs off Demo 06