Friday, March 18, 2011

NSDWhoa! - 2008 Day of Dog / Year of Gnar


Band : NSDWhoa!
Album : Day of Dog / Year of Gnar
Release Year : 2008
Genre : Experimental / Screamo / Post-Hardcore

Tracklist :
1. My Mustache Is Bad Luck
2. She Isn't Much To Look At, But She Makes One Hell Of A Coffee Table
3. Sasparilla Spring Break 1998! Straight Party Like Paris Hilton
4. Hella Hopped Up On Ketamine In A Hotel In Houston
5. ...And Whatever The Future May Bring...
6. Swamp Donkeys, Frown Lords, And Fire Yetis
7. Floats Like A Butterfly, Stings Like Chlamydia
8. All My Friends Are Shitty Wizards!
9. Accidently Finding Jesus While Looking For Condoms
10. ...It Sure As Shit Won't Have A Mustache On It

Sometimes a band comes along and melds together so many familiar genres that they become unfamiliar and new.  This is the case with Ohio based NSDWhoa!, whose album Day of Dog/Year of Gnar mixes together hardcore, indie rock, and neo psychedelic rock in ways that listeners will find to be pretty unique.  And though this release may be just a bit too spastic for some people, those with an open mind for the experimental will find this group to be a sign that these musical scenes are far from dead.

While there are a ton of bands out there that seem content to repeat the same breakdown oriented metalcore around album after album, NSDWhoa!’s instrumentalists seem to want to push the edge for what fits into the genre.  Although there are plenty of heavy riffs throughout the course of Day of Dog/Year of Gnar, many of the songs also experiment with spacey interludes and indie rock/psychedelic rock grooves that tie into the occasional breakdown.  This may sound a little spastic and jarring, and though it can be at times the band always makes it work.  Unfortunately, the production on this disc is a little sparse and will make listeners wish that the sound level could match up to the quality of the music itself.

Like the instrumentals, the vocals throw in a variety of different styles and make them fit together perfectly.  A good portion of the album is filled with screaming, which ranges from pitches similar to that of The Locust to low, blood curdling growls.  In particular, the song “Accidentally Finding Jesus While Looking for Condoms” showcases more screaming and growling styles in 2-3 minutes than some bands do on entire albums.  This may be hard for some people to take, but those open to the extremer side of the vocal spectrum will surely appreciate it.  In addition to this, there is also a wide variety of clean vocals that help to add some melody to many of these arrangements.

NSDWhoa! has created one of the more interesting experimental hardcore/psychedelic rock albums that has come out in quite some time.  Though it is hurt slightly by the slightly shoddy production values, this won’t stop listeners from enjoying this standout release.  Day of Dog/Year of Gnar is easily one of my favorite releases, and unless you just absolutely can’t stand some of the screaming styles is sure to be high up on your list as well.





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