I’ve never seen anyone talk about The Locust on these boards to my recollection. I think they are a great band who have developed a really interesting sound.
The early stuff is a bit ruff production-wise and I think they were still finding themselves. I actually prefer really insane music like this to be extremely polished because it’s a great dichotomy and I think they achieve that really well.
It’s amazing to hear all the nuances in their frantic, spastic brand of …what the fuck do you even call this kind of music? Love the buzzing synths, the insane technical drumming, the constant shifts in time signature and tempo, the high pitched yelling vocals…just the whole aesthetic and how it’s so different to what I’m used to.
I have a feeling that the key for their sound is that it must be mixed properly. Because it could easily become a wall of noise. That’s why I love the polished recordings. It really captures how insane yet technically planned out it all is…
I’d like them more if it wasn’t for the vox, that really throws me off cos it makes it all sound so repetitive. Good production though, fastening all the rumblings together. Do they do any crazy shit in their live performance?
Seen these guys five times now and have watched their music and performance evolve over the years…If the Locust is in town, you can GUARANTEE they’ll have the best picks in openers. Cattle Decapitation, Daughters, Black Dice, Melt Banana, just to name a few equally entertaining and novel bands to grace the same stage right before them.
The first Locust releases are great simply because they use this carnival synth that takes the songs into psychotic territory. “Moth Eaten Deer Head” “Hairspray Suppository” and “Perils of Believing in Round Squares” being good examples of this sound. Good shit.
Plague Soundscapes is their masterpiece. Don’t think they’ll top that one, twenty minutes of refined madness with lots of different ideas in every track and more emphasis on the intricate keyboard/guitar/drum patterns and less on the riffs that made up the debut. “File Under Soft Core Seizures” and “Live from the Russian Compound” stand out to me.
I like that they’re experimenting with longer songs, but I feel it takes the edge off their sound quite a bit and a lot is lost in the process
I’m a big fan of the Locust. They are always terrific live. They’ve brought all my favorite elements from other genres into their brand of spazz rock, be it Devo’s stage moves, the Residents keyboard stylings or simply ninja bee keeper costumes. These are all good things! They always seem to have some hilarious audience interactions live. I actually dig most of the early stuff (Moth Eaten Deer Head especially) but agree the sound has progressed and Plague Soundscapes is top notch.
If you dig them you might like some of Men’s Recovery Projects work, who are a little more on the Devo/Punk side of thing’s, but are one of my favorite bands to come out of the last 15 years. (Sam Mcpheeter’s from MRP also does all the great Locust album covers).
If you dig them you might like some of Men’s Recovery Projects work, who are a little more on the Devo/Punk side of thing’s, but are one of my favorite bands to come out of the last 15 years. (Sam Mcpheeter’s from MRP also does all the great Locust album covers).
Seconding the love for Men’s Recovery Project!
One of my all time favorite albums. The flow is amazing and the basslines are sinister as fuuuuck. I think I’ll blast that from my car on my drive to work right now.
One of my all time favorite albums. The flow is amazing and the basslines are sinister as fuuuuck. I think I’ll blast that from my car on my drive to work right now.[/reply]
Right on! Great album choice. “Bolides Over Basra” is awesome, I used to just leave Egyptian Assassin on repeat. Such a great track! Usually anything Sam Mcpheeters is involved with is going to be gold.
Right on! Great album choice. “Bolides Over Basra” is awesome, I used to just leave Egyptian Assassin on repeat. Such a great track! Usually anything Sam Mcpheeters is involved with is going to be gold.
Yeah! In the Eunich’s Wine Cellar Door is my favorite, or is it Sephardic Secrets or Olive Salesman? I don’t know. Some of it brings to mind The Residents
Where should I go from there? I have the “Best of” and Frank Talk About Humans which didn’t impress me nearly as much. Looks like they released a number of full lengths that I might have to special order
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Where should I go from there? I have the “Best of” and Frank Talk About Humans which didn’t impress me nearly as much. Looks like they released a number of full lengths that I might have to special order
“Resist the New Way” has always been my favorite. Its very infectious. “Grappling with the Homonoids” is also great but a bit more on the experimental side of things sound wise.
The Locust have ended their amiable split with some live dates. Fun Fun Fun fest in Austin this past weekend and now their first local booking in five years in a couple of weeks. http://www.porterspub.com/event/294/the-locust-widows-.php
As much as I enjoy Retox & Rats Eyes I think everyone is ready for another round. They never became stagnant. Reminds me of how Fugazi unofficially broke up after “The Argument”, which is in many ways their most musically rich and rewarding album. The last Locust full length showed a band that was beginning to craft some really memorable songs different from their normal intricate chaos. I’d be very interested in hearing where they’d go next.
Yeah I’m glad they’re back as well. RETOX to me was just a poor man’s Locust and I didn’t understand the point.
However, as others said, their last release with the normal song lengths and slower tracks kind of dulled the impact so it’s weird to think where they’ll go next.
I think if they explore the sludgy side more they could be on to a new phase in their development. However that will piss a lot off who just want another ‘Plage Soundscapes’ or whatever out of them.
Void, did you listen to the latest Retox? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymnZ7xV0chs. They improved the production and the songs all stand out from each other with emphasis on lyric delivery & song arrangement that I haven’t heard anywhere else. I found the first couple releases mostly bland. Good on Justin Pearson. It’s his musical heritage that’s kept him playing and working nonstop.
The Locust have always pissed off their audience. I remember one show where they did almost nothing but drones & bang on hanging sheet metal. People left very disappointed. If they expanded on those sludgy influences from their last album I think that would be pretty exciting for a band mostly known for hyperfast songs that last a minute. I love those bits on the last album (“We’ll bury this city in TRASH”).
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