One Man's Plague Is Another Man's Pleasure

The Locust
Album: New Erections
AOTKPTA

Moments ago I started to write about Owen Pallett and his glorious goodness...and then I realized that the blog seems to have morphed into "The Sensitive Man's Guide to Music."  At least recently.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but life is all about balance, right?  In that spirit I offer the following 180 seconds of beautifully orchestrated chaos.

The Locust is one of my favorite noise rock bands, and at its heart is the asymmetrically beating drum of the fantastically gifted Gabe Serbian (aka Gabe Locust).  Our featured video is a single tight shot of our hero spastically attacking his kit.  But, like, in a beautifully musical way.  Natch.

Most critics locate the Locust in a musical space intersecting powerviolence, mathcore, grindcore, and experimental rock.  But what the hell does that mean?!  I mean...really.  C'mon.  It's not just lazy scholarship, it's a load of nonsense.  The truth is that multi-genre labels like this muddy the waters; they hinder us from engaging the music in a real way.  The Locust reminds me more of Ornette Coleman than any single mathcore or grindcore band, and in my opinion they are best approached in this way.  Indeed, there is something very jazzy in the rapidly changing time signatures and fascinating internal rhythms.  Musically, "AOTKPTA" is vastly complex, but an astute listener will hear several thematic (not melodic) strands evolve throughout.  These guys are really good musicians, and this composition is far more than sheer randomness.

Then there are the vocals.  Those who prefer story telling or even, well...you know...words and stuff will be sorely disappointed.  But that's sorta the point.  As lead singer and bassist Justin Pearson says, "I want to change the way people perceive music."  The Locust is a deliberate attempt to subvert conventional music making.  And that's more than good enough for me.

Back to "The Sensitive Show" next post.  I promise.  Word.