HYLI Vol. IX - Sepultura and Pavement
Patrick sends Andy some weirdo slacker rock experimentation and Andy sends Patrick some classic Brazilian thrash.
Hope y’all had a good one. I (Patrick) went to a soccer game this weekend that set MLS attendance records. It was a little scary because since North Carolina lifted the mask mandate, there were virtually none being worn. But it was also the single most exciting and entertaining live sporting event I’ve been to? Anyways, music. It’s good. Hope you like these albums.
Sepultura - Beneath The Remains
Andy: I don’t love Thrash Metal. I kinda feel like the genre is a “jack of all trades, master of none,” for me. I definitely enjoy it but it often makes me want to listen to a more extreme genre. Anyway, everyone knows about the Big 4, so we don’t need to talk about them. Sepultura is the next best on that list imo.
Beneath The Remains was the album that made them a legit force in thrash. I prefer Roots a bit, but not by much. Pretty raw, some great riffs, fun album art (I mean look at that happy little bat buddy). It’s good wholesome fun. This was a “historical accuracy” pick for my bud Patrick. I’d be shocked if this wasn’t on most “Best Thrash Albums” lists. Anyways, now we’ve covered Thrash and can move on. Thank you. Hope You Like It.
Patrick: So, perhaps predictably, thrash is one of my favorite sub-genres for metal. It’s probably one of the ones, alongside some doom and “stoner metal,” type stuff that’s the most closely aligned with more traditional forms of rock music. The main thing that separates it to me, and is the reason why I enjoy it so much, is it goes Fast As Hell (Andy: I’m giving you Grindcore next, enjoy).
I wouldn’t say that Beneath the Remains was my favorite thrash album ever (And Justice for All or South of Heaven take this) (Andy: Wow we got some scorching hot takes over here 🥱), or even really my favorite Sepultura album (Roots, c’mon), but I totally see the appeal. The riffs are definitely there and Max Cavalera’s vocals are exactly what you want from thrash - the right mixture of gruff and melodic characteristics.
Overall, some of these songs certainly rip harder than Roots, but certain stuff like the percussion of traditional Brazilian music and mixture of vocalists make me prefer that album to the more traditional thrash we have here (Andy: Yes, the rawness is scary to you, it’s okay). Is this album bigger than Roots? I feel like I heard of that album before I even knew who Sepultura was and I have not heard of this album until this week. Not to sound too negative, I really do love a lot of the guitar playing here, especially on songs like “Mass Hypnosis” and “Hungry,” I just feel like I’ve heard better from both this band and this genre. I do like it though and will be keeping the album around. I Liked It.
Pavement - Wowee Zowee
Patrick: Man, I love this band. Is this a unique take? No? Everyone loves Pavement? Okay, that’s fine. Starting someone who has never heard Pavement off with Wowee Zowee, as opposed to Slanted and Enchanted or Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, might seem a bit cruel, but I know my bud Andy. For whatever it’s worth, I expect he probably does not like this album, or likes half of it and doesn’t like the other, but I know that dude loves weirdo experimental shit (Andy: I do. Thank you) and that is this album to a tee. Slanted and Enchanted is an album full of Pavement trying to sound like The Fall and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is an album full of Pavement trying to sound like a band from Laurel Canyon in the 1970s. Wowee Zowee is 18 songs with Pavement sounding like a different band on each one. Does it mean that it probably has the lowest hit rate of any of their albums? Maybe. But it also means that it has some of the highest highs of the discography of a band that’s very important to me. Hope You Like It.
Andy: What is this art lol. Why is this 18 songs? Who wrote this? Did they have a plan? So weird. What a wacky record. I mean it’s not super weird but it’s weird enough for an indie rock record to still be “weird” and be normal enough for Pat to love it.
There are 18 songs here running basically an hour. The songs here fall into an “I Like It” or an “I Don’t Care About It” bucket mostly (Patrick: I know you better than you know yourself). I did not actively dislike any of it. The ‘weirder’ or ‘more odd’ the song, the more I enjoyed it. The more straightforward indie rock they get, the most I start to lose interest.
To be honest, I don’t think I gave a fair number of listens to this album to give it a worthy discussion. I listened to it a good number of times, there is just a lot of stuff going on. This album has felt a little like when you watch an old movie that everyone says was good and you’re like “yeah, that was decent” and then you think about it again in the shower (Patrick: ?), then again while falling asleep, then again while you’re driving to work and realize “huh, that movie was legit fantastic.” I feel like I’ve just mentally finished my first listen of this record and I’m just beginning to digest it.
The coolest thing about this band is they did an episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and performed two exclusive songs. That is neat. I Liked (maybe Loved? I’m not sure?) It.