Gravel – “Except For Me”
Gravel is one of my favorite bands though I’ve only seen them once.
And the reason I believe that is, is they don’t play punk shows, which to me is a shame- because I feel they’re one of the best punk bands I write about.
They use tags like “garage, punk, rock’n’roll” which is fine- but for me they are the essence of riot grrl.
And for me, I feel the true extension of punk is riot grrl. While hardcore, seems to me now, to be an extension of metal, as it currently seems to be even more that way today.
But I haven’t heard music that quite captures the spirit of the first punk music besides riot grrl. (Okay, maybe a lot of the current crazy Oi bands, especially from Japan!)
But I want to listen to music that doesn’t necessarily capture the sound, but the feeling of the early punk. The wild exuberance combined with the utter, hopeless despair. The arrogance of doing it your own way combined with the humility of accepting you’re as lost as everyone else. An intelligence and awareness of life and a unaccepting stance of what has been so blindly accepted, by society, in the past.
That sounds pretty good to me- let’s give this record a spin:
With some pounding drums and some roaring guitars “Dream In Blue” comes charging out with some grunge-y guitar chords. “Nothing’s what it seems,” I catch in the lyrics, but this song is really something worthwhile in this blurry portrait, full of fury that builds in emotion then slams, incredibly hard towards the finish in a flurry.
“Control” starts out calmly enough and appears to be a song about body image but soon the rhythmic lines are broken. “Everyone is beautiful except for me.” It’s about how people devalue themselves to live up to society’s expectations. “And I like to think that I can’t be wrong. And I like to think that I can’t be bought. But I sell out everyday. To a system that may never go away.” This song is as truthful as it is sad and as it is- truly beautiful.
“Pinkwash” moves along in a distorted, fuzzy hardcore rush. It sounds like a mash-up of The Breeders and Bikini Kill with back up vocals sung like by someone hanging onto a ledge or someone trying to break up a bar fight. Either way, a chaotic, energetic collision of awesomeness.
“Valentine’s Day Is A Hoax But You’re Not,” reminds me, in title, of “Your Phones Of The Hook (But You’re Not)” by X- (Yes, this was in the day of land phones). This tune roars along with a great, blasting, over-driven guitar and a Sex Pistols like rhythm along with an X-Ray Spec like vocal. It’s a rant against sappy sentiments like Hallmark cards, but “if you brought me flowers I wouldn’t mind.” I don’t know if I would mine, I just know I (heart) this song.
“All you care about is your fucking self,” so accuses “Matafog,” as it rips along with doom-laden guitar and blistering rhythms. This song rocks harder than any song I’ve heard, or probably will hear this year. “Will you ever feel like me?” Maybe not, that is unless I somehow, create the best fucking song of the year.
“Does it make you big? Does it make you better? Are you safe now? Does it make you tough? Does it build you up? When you put them down?” So goes the chorus of “Safe” and I think we can safely guess this pertains to our current government, of our long history of priviledged white males choosing a scapegoat. Though the lyrics are so sadly true, the music is great and big and better in its’ energy and spirit.
“Pop Song” fires up with distorted guitar like the great, early English art-punk band Wire but then moves into more mellow ground with melodic background vocals that result in something far better than its title, something reflective, melancholy and of substance.
After a crashing, almost metal introduction followed with a blurring of rhythm and grunge-y, garage, guitar growls with a complaint of “Controlling my body, controlling my mind, …controlling my soul,” so starts off “(Still Got) Better Things To Do”. This song rips with energy and passion while the velocity and intensity increases as it goes along. Better things than to be shown up, blown off, but there’s nothing better to me than to hear music as great as this.
“Might makes right” is a concept that has ruled life, unfortunately, for quite some time, for centuries.
I believe, fairly recently, the last couple of hundred years, there’s been a shift towards ideas.
If we continue to believe in the old matriarchy, the old “might makes right”- than I feel we are doomed. But I don’t believe that will happen. What I do believe is that our life will be saved by women. Mankind saved by womankind.
And I believe this will happen, it’s slowly happening now. Women are proving to be better leaders, in many fields, in many ways, it’s grown and it will only grow.
And I see that in the local scene that I cover. When I see that a band has female members, then I know that’s it’s more likely that I’ll like the band. And the reason I think this is that, in our society, women have to want it more, to knock down more doors, to succeed. And I know that a lot about making music does not come from talent but from diligence, desire and determination- and the women who are involved in music seem to me, to often have more drive.
And really I don’t care what genitals you have below your waistline, I listen to and go where my ears tell me to go. But most of the women oriented, if not all female bands, are usually great, too.
Gravel joins Damn Broads! joins Phallus Uber Alles joins The Knock Ups as all-female bands that are some of my favorite bands.
The future is female.
And Gravel is a damned good band.
And this is an amazing recording.
And I’d be amazed if this isn’t amongst the best recordings I’ll review this year.
(Slimedog)
