Admittedly, I'm partial to music that
is unapologetic and brash. There's a chance it can grow stale, I
guess, but the angst / aggression that drives it removes a lot of
clutter, allowing for the tempo to rip through any pretensions. Buildings'
2011 release, Melt Cry Sleep,
struck the right chord for me: there's the big guitar riffs, abused
drums, throbbing base, and guttural-barked lyrics creating a perfect
onslaught of noise. Almost any review will mention the similarity to the 80s or 90s AmRep vibe. That's all well and good. There's a bit of nostalgia clinging to it, but Buildings don't stop there
as they add layer upon layer, merging an odd toe-tapping vibe with the
constant slaps in the face.
The
last time Buildings played Total Fest they encountered so many
mishaps on the road, I was sure they were cursed. They were touring
with Hawks, who due to some van "trouble" basically rolled
into town, set up, and played their set. It was a good set, but I
think the chaos was a distraction. Buildings set was magnificent, but
after I walked away to work my door shift, Brian's equipment gave out. A few days later,
bones were broken. I've never been happier for two bands to make it
home. Since then, Buildings released a split 7" on Exit Music,Riot House Records released It Doesn't Matter in
2014, and they've changed bassists (again). It Doesn't
Matter builds on their crushing,
jarring sound while it retains and maybe exploits the playful quality
that was somewhat hidden in their early releases.
Live,
they're ferocious, pounding through their set with a refreshing fuck
you vibe. You can play the records as loud as you want, but their
ear-ringing live sets is where it's at. Buildings is brutally
brilliant, and we're totally stoked to have them play Total Fest this
year.
Okay, this is basically a straight-up
invasion at this point. To think that we've been clamoring for
Chicago's love,
when a revolving influx of talented, friendly, awesome, and clever
folks from the Twin-Cities area continue to visit our little oasis.
Sometime
last year, I read this phrase: like a cross between Big Black and Naked Raygun. A
few keystrokes and mouse clicks later, I navigated my way to
Buildings' bandcamp. The cover for the album is mesmerizing. Sure
the girl is attractive, but her arms are oddly contorted and her face
is haunting. I'll leave it at that. From first listen, I immediately
put them on my list of bands to target for last year's Total Fest.
They came. They played. They kicked ass. So much so that we asked
them to come back.
I
have a soft-spot for bands like Buildings. It's hard hitting,
pulsating, and driven by underlying aggression and hostility; and,
it's not afraid to challenge its influences. The trio (Brian, Travis,
and Joe) stand on the shoulders of everything we love about those
AmRep style bands, but they do not simply regurgitate some half-assed
nostalgic attempt to sound retro. Like their first album, 2012's
Melt, Cry, Sleep pounds its way through 10 brutally, abrasive songs,
but it does so in a well polished and meticulous way that doesn't
call attention to itself. Let me try to say that in a different way:
they're good musicians who can handle their instruments, know each
other well enough to take chances, and have the balls to crash it
into the wall. Plus, I dig subtle. I like music that makes you work a
little bit, and I like albums that make me pause when I'm working or
walking around the house. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gyrating my
hips as I do the dishes, but Buildings give me pause. Beneath the
snarls and thunder are layers upon layers of atonal shifts and solid
straight-up grooves that challenge expectations and lead the songs in
completely different directions. Not a band to disappoint, 2013's split release with Atlanta's Hawks is an
awesome addition, but it's, frankly, just not enough. Two tracks!
Granted one song is "Mouthgift" (yeah, I dig that title --
oddly, snotty in a way). Around the 1:30 mark of LPGA the song feels
as if its ready to devour itself, but it thrashes itself back into
existence. Where LPGA twists, Mouthgift drags and pulls you across
the floor. Plus the lyrics are priceless.
Oh, I forgot to mention that they're nice guys. Solid dudes. (Sorry gents, I hope that doesn't ruin your street cred).
Nothing quite captures that feeling
while your moving around the concrete labyrinth like buildings. Not exactly the band, here, but those towering structures that help form our pathways. What's more fundamental to a
cityscape than those brick, glass and granite effigies we build in
celebration of our mastery over nature? Sure buildings like to
pretend that they're slick, impenetrable facades (ok buildings don't,
but their designers do -- or at least attempt to choreograph our experience,
but, the truth is, they're covered in shit. From literal shit to
graffiti to the residual elements in the air, buildings are virtual
sponges that silently record and fossilize the miniscule strata we're
lucky enough to leave behind. Here, in Missoula, we like to pretend
that buildings don't dominate our landscape. The silhouettes of the
Wilma, Millennium Building, and First Interstate are dwarfed by the
lumbering profiles of Jumbo and Sentinel. Hell, MB and FI hoped that
their glass facades would efface their presence by reflecting
the surrounding skyline. We're not idiots; we realize that we need to
go indoors to accomplish certain things, but, somehow, we pretend that
buildings aren't part of our landscape. It's a nice luxury. (Did we mention musings in the initial post?) ...
Missoula presents an interesting, if not outright contradictory,
intersection between development and conservation. We like it, and we
loathe it. Our blood boils over every roundabout, pedestrian path,
condo, box store, renovation project. That's the rub of
it. We exist in our space, but we willfully ignore or nostalgically
pine ....
Minneapolis's Buildings is one
of those occasions that don't melt into the peripheral. They're hard,
mathematical, straight-forward, and mercurial. Reminiscent of Jesus
Lizard, there's an explosive, yet reserved aggression that builds up
to an infinite series of releases. Fuck, man -- kick the genre-police
to the curb. it's good, old fashioned hardcore pressed through 20
years of frustration of being mired in "post" this or
"post" that. It shovels its own shit. They've
been around for six plus years, but 2012's Melt, Cry,Sleep is an
album that announces itself. I don't remember how or when I first
heard them, but I was absolutely blown away. I stalked them on the
internet for a few and waited patiently for a show close to home. It
didn't happen. Next option? Bring that hard-hitting stuff to
Missoula. So here we are: a Building's structured demolition. Unlike
cheap-shot, one-trick pony, media hounds like Howler,
Buildings re-situates and erects (pun intended) Minneapolis as a
benchmark for music. There's no entitlement going on here.
Hardworking dudes, pounding out riff after riff and layering it with
that rejuvenated, pissed-off scaffolding that allows us all to
breathe a little easier.
We've been promising this for a few weeks. Apologies for our delay.
We received an overwhelming number of great submissions this year. A few evenings spilled into a handful of marathon listening sessions, followed by days of talking through the crazy amount of talent that came through the submissions inbox. By no means is it a perfect system, but we, here at Total Fest, feel like we've come up with an awesome, well-rounded line-up that will get your blood moving. We have a limited amount of slots, and we're saddened by some of the bands that we have to leave out of the festival. It's tough, but it's a welcome problem to face. Thank you to everyone that put their hat into the ring. Submitting to a festival can be a tough, cold process, and we hope that we add a little more of a human element to things. We appreciate all the support that you give us. Although it seems trite at times, it simply cannot be said enough -- Total Fest does not and cannot exist without you.
Lamentations aside, we're frickin' stoked about this year. We have approximately 45 bands lined-up, and there's not an out in the bunch. It's rewarding to see this come together, and we hope you'll erase that pencil and solidly ink in your travel plans for the 16th-18th. A few changes: We'll be posting more as the days go by, but, unlike previous years, we'll throw-up a dozen or so bands at a time and follow-up with some write-ups and general musings on individual bands. So, without further ado here is the first installment for Total Fest XI:
