Mahumodo – Waves
Many times when you veer into post-hardcore territory, especially with bands working with longer song structures, the more “knuckle-headed” (non-derogatory) tendencies of hardcore (breakdowns and chug riffs) are what falls away. This is not the case with Mahumodo. They will give you a nasty mosh part, but you will have to wait for it as one part of a larger journey on which their songs weave through. The band plays with quiet-loud dynamics in a way that really makes the heavy parts pop when they follow sparse clean guitar lines in isolation. Lyrical passages with clean vocals are written with a focus on elongated stretched syllables that hang in the air and add to the dream-like aura of the chord progressions. After this final release, members of the band would split off into post-metal bands *Sheis and Devil Sold His Soul, so it’s not surprising that their work as Mahumodo would already emphasize atmosphere and lead to them writing some very beautiful heavy music on Waves.
Maximillian Colby – Discography
This group has emerged as one of my favourites of early-mid 90s emo. Their discography demonstrates the ways in which emo continued to develop and differentiate itself from meat-and-potatoes hardcore via songwriting choices that subverted conventional brevity and aggression. Max Colby seems to be part of the connective tissue between Slint’s Spiderland and the post-rock influenced screamo of groups emerging at the tail end of the 90s like City of Caterpillar, Funeral Diner, and Envy. Here is a group that can exercise extreme restraint and sparseness interchangeably with explosions into burning ferocity. The drumming is a stand-out feature, with the rhythm section caterwauling through irregular stop-start rhythms and suspended grooves. Many of their songs eschew lyrics for long periods or all together in favour of non-narrative exercises in building and releasing tension and atmosphere.
As a compilation of various singles, splits, and demos, Discography is, well, a discography, and not cohesive, but it does demonstrate the band’s capabilities at crafting intriguing experiments in post-hardcore songwriting. I really wonder what a full length album from this group would’ve shaped up to be, as there are glimmers of era/genre defining work throughout the compilation.
Contain – Prayer For Violence
Contain’s debut EP is bound to impress anyone with a sweet spot for mid-late 90s metallic hardcore. The straight edge group sounds like they are pulling from giants of that era such as Unbroken and Mourning Again, but inject a sense of fresh modernity through the ferocious performances and crisp sound that keep it from being strictly an exercise in homage and nostalgia. The vocal performances burn with a conviction that is a hallmark of the best of SxE hardcore, and the midtempo grooves the band locks into are primed for post-mic grab windmilling.
While Contain have yet to play a show, the EP has already been garnering an audience beyond the local Edmonton scene – as is evident in its appearance in a discussion on a recent episode of the Axe to Grind podcast and a shoutout by Daze Records on Instagram. Be as cynical as you want but those things kinda matter these days, and it is fascinating to see how bands in the city who have garnered a significant local following through live performances haven’t seemed to get as much visible external traction despite also having high quality recorded material as well. Regardless, I look forward to catching Contain’s first set because they’ve clearly got the sauce that’ll set the venue ablaze.
Paul Johnson – Feel the Music
Do you like having fun? Do you like dancing? Can you follow simple instructions? Listen to Paul Johnson and Feel the Music. You will dance and you will have fun! That’s what I did. Trust me, don’t even try to listen to this deep house classic while seated. You will start moving and grooving and that’s a guarantee.