Album Review: 25 Years [EP] by Middle Class Rut

Before reading Kerrang! magazine describe Middle Class Rut as a cross between the “swagger of Jane’s Addiction” and the “fury of Rage Against The Machine,” a similar comparison was apparent. It’s actually more like Perry Farrell singing lead for Rage (it’d be blasphemy to compare a two-piece band without a bass player to Eric Avery’s Jane’s Addiction). Even as a two-piece, Middle Classs Rut pull off an epic sound. Lead singer/guitarist Zach Lopez and drummer Sean Stockham experienced early career success when they were signed to a major label in their teens as Leisure. Since then, all versions of a band attempting to add additional players haven’t panned out. The latest incarnation, also known as MC Rut (the name comes from a Shel Silverstein poem), removes all extraneous components to focus on the pieces that were never broken.

The band releases their 25 Years EP on Bright Antenna, and the record is nothing short of spectacular. From the opening riffs of the title track, the EP features six punches to the face. “25 Years” serves well as an opener, complete with visceral guitars and Richard Patrick screams. “Dead Set” features an impressive interplay between Lopez’s delayed guitar and Stockham’s relentless percussion. “I Guess You Could Say” lightens up just a bit, with an addictive guitar melody and lyrical wordplay. “All Walks of Life,” a standout track on the EP, finds the band turning up the intensity with Lopez’s squelching guitars and best screamo impersonation. “Tied Up” is an anthemic dose of collected rage with a catchy chorus. The band saves the best track in “I Don’t Really Know” as the closer. It’s highlighted by Lopez’s impeccable guitar solos and his strongest lyrics on the record, as he sings an angst-ridden duet against his alter ego (I’m assuming this is Stockham helping out on vocals): “I don’t really know what I believe; I never really know, I can’t agree.”

The album is one of our favorites of the year and will likely end up on Fishpork’s end-of-year lists. MC Rut has recently gained increasing popularity in the UK, and the buzz continues in the US. Download the title track from the EP here or stream it below:

Watch the video for “Busy Bein’ Born” off their MC Rut EP below. If you like what you hear, check out our contest for a Middle Class Rut prizepack, which features a copy of the 25 Years EP and a limited addition 7″ of the “Busy Bein’ Born” single signed by the band.

http://mcrut.com
http://www.myspace.com/middleclassrut

The Fishpork 20: Favorite Albums of 2008

Remember this era in music. It’s a special one. We’re going to look back and talk about it like we talk about the 60s or 70s. I used to miss all the great bands that came out of the 90s, but my longing for the hay days of grunge and industrial has since dissipated. Go ahead and disagree, but this is a renaissance period for music. This year was no exception. In fact, it served as an endless discovery period of great bands and classic albums. However, our favorite album of 2008 was not a difficult choice at all. Here is our list of favorite albums of 2008:

1. Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
2. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
3. Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
4. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
5. Eric Avery – Help Wanted
6. Elf Power – In a Cave
7. Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
8. Nine Inch Nails – The Slip
9. Tapes N’ Tapes – Walk It Off
10. Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
11. Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
12. Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV
13. Portishead – Third
14. Sigur Ros – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
15. Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power – Dark Developments
16. Ladytron – Velocifero
17. The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me
18. First Wave Hello – God Bless, Devil You
19. Fuck Buttons – Street Horsssing
20. David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
    

Honorable Mentions:

• Dub Trio – Another Sound is Dying
• Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer
• Health – Disco

Most Disappointing Albums:

• Beck – Modern Guilt
• SexTapes – SexTapes
• UNKLE – End Title . . . Stories For Film

Most Overrated Albums:

• Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
• Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
• Cold Play – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

Fishpork will post our favorite songs and live shows of the year next week. Check back soon!

Eric Avery’s Revolution

There has been a recent buzz surrounding Eric Avery’s decision to rejoin Jane’s Addiction on stage for a NME Awards show in L.A. earlier this year. This has lead to the possibility of an original lineup reunion, and these events unfortunately overshadowed Avery’s solo release Help Wanted on Dangerbird Records this past April. Even though this is Avery’s first formal release under his own name, he previously released his solo work under the Polarbear moniker in the years after Jane’s broke up in 1991. Under Polarbear, Avery released 1996′s Self-titled 12″ ice blue vinyl and then 1997′s Chewing Gum EP, before releasing the brilliant LP Why Something Instead of Nothing? in 1999. Ahead of its time, Avery’s Polarbear was a brilliant experimental noise machine that featured complicated song textures and was notable by the early integration of a laptop when playing live shows. However, this project went virtually unnoticed outside of L.A. and WSION was limited to 2,000 copies before the label stopped pressing records. Luckily for fans, it was reissued in 2004, when, perhaps, audiences were more ready for the groundbreaking LP.

The keyboards and guitar on the opening track “Belly of an Insect” lays the groundwork for the listener for an experience in ever-changing experimental melodies and bass lines that bring you into the unknown. As Avery chants the chorus “carry my blood away,” it is obvious that you are in for a fresh ride on this record. The drum machine pattern from the second track, “Beside the Fire” will sound familiar to Polarbear fans and creates a unique ladder to Avery’s past, while creating novel guitar sounds behind the brainy mantra of “I don’t know why sometimes I lose my mind when everything seems just fine.”  These lyrics merge with the dark dirge of Avery’s melodies perfectly.

Where many artists fall short in taking musical risks, Avery excels. “All Remote and No Control” is the first single and continues Avery’s lyrical theme of paradoxical juxtapositions. Ever dynamic, Avery takes vocal chances with spoken word verses on as “Revolution” and on a classic duet with former Garbage singer Shirley Manson on “Maybe.” Other songs, such as “Philo Beddoe,” bring the listener into a different musical realm with the crushing guitar behind jarring, distorted strings. Avery’s range shines bright on “Porchlight,” with unique guitar rhythms and poetic keyboards.

Avery reaches into the depths of despair and depression in his lyrics and profound vocals, reminiscent of Peter Murphy. As with Polarbear, Avery plays most of the instruments but in addition to Manson, he enlists contributions from other notables, including Foo Fighter’s drummer Taylor Hawkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea (who plays trumpet) and Chris Channy, who ironically played bass in the last incarnation of the Jane’s Addition.

Help Wanted picks up were Polarbear left off and gives us one of the best and most overlooked releases so far in 2008. I can only hope that Avery disbands the idea of reuniting with Jane’s and tours in support of his best work to date. With Help Wanted Eric Avery has created a exceptional and necessary album in a time when many musical artists from the 90s–including present members of Jane’s-continue to generate music unnecessarily.

July’s Fresh Pork Cuts!

Pete’s:

• Silver Jews- My Pillow is the Threshold
• The National – Mistaken For Strangers
• MGMT – Pieces of What
• The Helio Sequence – Lately
• Eric Avery – Philo Beddoe

Mark’s:

• Crystal Castles – Air Wars
• Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
• Ladytron – Ghosts
• Fuck Buttons – Ribs Out
• Girl Talk – Set It Off

[audio:setitoff.mp3]