cva
‘Good news, people. Hardcore is still alive. It has just been filtered from Lifetime through Kid Dynamite and now into Paint It Black, with a little Affirmative Action Jackson, The Curse and Good Riddance support for good measure.
Plain and simple, Paint it Black has got it. The songs they write not only have character but they seem like they have the qualities I can only assume women look for in “a good man.” They are tight, powerful, funny, packed with tongue-in-cheek wit, and intellectual and politically minded – but not overbearingly so.
With the longest song reaching just under pop’s classic three-minute limit, Paint It Black knows how to cut the crap and get to the point, as this track’s title suggests: “This Song Is Short Because It’s Not Political.” It’s all shorter, faster, louder.
“CVA” (Cardio Vascular Accident), which doubles as a song about vocalist Dr. Dan Yemin’s stroke in 2001, is an homage to old-school punk. In addition to being packed with references to the Rolling Stones, Fugazi, Minor Threat and so on, it breathes life back into the sounds of the NJ/PA hardcore scenes.
This uncompromising and unabashed onslaught of songs grips you by the throat and pins you up against the wall. With your feet dangling in the air, your interest will be piqued. It sounds sadomasochistic but fans of good hardcore will tell you they don’t mind getting their asses kicked by an aggressive auricular attack.
Yemin, who has his doctorate in psychology, makes his debut behind the microphone with PIB. While his voice is noticeably distinguishable from the vocals of Jason Shevchuck and Ari Katz, singers of Yemin’s prior endeavors Kid Dynamite and Lifetime, it has the raw, throaty quality to it that gives bands such as Hot Water Music and Small Brown Bike an edge. His vocal lines are a bit more drawn-out than the singers of his previous bands but, nevertheless, his Guy Picciotto-esque debut is impressive.
The only question this album will leave you with is “Why was Yemin inspired to write a song (“Four Simple Steps to Total Life Satisfaction”) based on John Carpenter’s “They Live,” starring Rowdy Roddy Piper?” What a horrible movie.
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