Thank God / Tigershark

Three labels, two bands, six rad songs. Here we go.

Thank God are on the A Side with three songs of screamy, Gravity-style hardcore. Actually, the first song, "I Will Die in Paris" is a calmer, soothing but still dark instrumental piece. And come to think of it, the last song, "Wasting My Breath" often features more restrained octaves and less overwhelming dynamics than the aforementioned, with anguished, nearly spoken word making up the lyrics aside from the possessed singing of a few lines in pattern form. But it's still intense. In between is the real rager though: "That Crazy Mouse Is Cool" has Henry's uncanny, alien-like vocals -- he begins with an affected, skin-crawling mutter that quickly evolves into a blast of screamed intensity that the music follows along. Definitely some interesting and inarguably diverse stuff.

Tigershark make up the flipside with their usual slabs of D-beat/crust affected, slightly metallic hardcore. Their three contributions here don't show a huge leap musically or sonically from their 2006 demo, but there's definitely a few neat tricks tucked away here and there: a surprisingly thoughtful guitar lick, unexpected stop-start, or mathy moment. "The..I..Um..We..Uhh..." actually seems to be one sole rhythm of slow-paced chords, muffled yells and light cymbal crashes that resemble proto-screamo acts tampering with the Fugazi formula. Lyrically, the band are a little schizophrenic; "He's Not a Bartender, He's an Artist!" initiates with paranoid confusion that somehow soon becomes cautious yet confident optimism ("I've lost all social interaction" appears in the first half; "Until I succeed I'll keep on marching forward" in the second). It sort of fits the mood though.

Tigershark have proven themselves yet again to be extremely promising even if their tunes don't fully deliver, and they're backed up fairly well by another band stretching for some versatility in a short span of time.

STREAM
Thank God - That Crazy Mouse Is Cool
Tigershark - He's Not a Bartender, He's an Artist!
Tigershark - King D