Early returns on The Conversation, the recently released debut album from L.A.-based Lockslip, has likened the band to a combination of “Converge’s bleeding-heart authenticity and Car Bomb’s kaleidoscopic complexity.” Internal memos straight from the mouth of vocalist Sara G. describes the ferocious quintet as “a blend of mathcore, metalcore, and hardcore, while not wanting to be limited by those labels.” And yes, all of the above is true. So, when we asked the band to pick and discuss their favourite albums of all time, we developed an even bigger crush on them when their eclectic tastes were revealed, loving how none of their faves hint at what happens when they get together to rock out. Like, as much as I’m sure they love Jane Doe as much as you, I and everyone else loves Jane Doe, there’s no mention of Jane Doe. Why not, after perusing their “Five Albums We Love” list, take The Conversation for a whirl and see if you can find the lines of influence?
Sara G (vocals)
Pinback — Blue Screen Life
“This album has stuck with me since the first time I heard it over 20 years ago. The lyrics can be very abstract and cryptic but still have the power to actually make me feel sad yet want to keep listening. ‘Boo’ is one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard, and I go back to it often. I really admire Rob Crow’s writing style. I also love how uniquely ‘Pinback’ the guitar tone is and the way the guitar and bass both drive the songs at times. I couldn’t pinpoint the ‘it’ factor for this band, you just have to hear it.”
Nick Pinder (guitar)
Toe — the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety
“This band, and album specifically, was a monumental shift in my music taste. The guitars almost contradict each other because at times one plays a steady, infectious melody and the other harmonizes by kind of just noodling around, but it just works. The drums are flashy, over-the-top for this type of ‘chill’ music and the bass almost definitionally holds everything together. The songwriting features a type of complexity that I find really interesting — subtle syncopation between the instruments and overlapping cycles of melodies. The songs ‘all I understand is that I don’t understand’ and ‘C’ both end with these beautiful arpeggios that make me want to lie on the floor, look at the ceiling and pretend I’m flying but also have me occasionally forgetting where the downbeat is. This album and band have been a heavy inspiration on everything I’ve done musically for a long, long time now.”
TJ Jaeger (guitar)
System of a Down — Toxicity
“We can’t afford to be neutral on a moving train. What hasn’t already been said about this band and this album? I’m not even going to try to add some fresh new perspective or take on it. Instead, I’m just going to geek out about how this has always been the album that keeps on giving for me. The first time I saw System of a Down live was at Ozzfest 2006 in Chicago. I left two songs in because I was scared of them (I was 12), and I had already seen the bands I came to see that day (Avenged Sevenfold and Dragonforce). REALLY wish I could go back and talk some sense into 12-year-old me. That fear turned into curiosity, and that following year was spent with Toxicity glued into my CD player. I didn’t understand the lyrics whatsoever, I just knew the music was weird, and I was weird, and it all made sense. I really liked the song about tapeworms. As I grew up, my appreciation for Toxicity grew with me. I started to understand the lyrics, the political context, and the Armenian motifs woven into the songwriting. It’s a perfect album in my eyes: one that says exactly what needed to be said when it came out (a week before 9/11), and one that is fully authentic to who those dudes are and where they came from. It’s the least try-hard album ever, and no one will ever write a heavier chorus than ‘Deer Dance.’”
Ricky Isla-Eisenacher (bass)
Minus The Bear — Highly Refined Pirates
“This band rules. This record is immaculate. It’s been on repeat since it came out and has never been skipped. I can’t even begin to find the right words to explain what this record has done for me over the years. The sound of the guitars, the intricate drums, the singing and perfect lyrics, the rhythms, the perfectly placed keys, and most of all, the feeling it gives off. Just perfectly executed! When I was younger I followed them around trying to catch every show. I really loved that David from Botch played guitar, as I was a huge Botch fan. After finding that out I dug deeper only to find that other members were from Killsadie and Matt was a recording god who had recorded tons of my favourite bands. I really fell in love with everything about the band and this album. It’s what I put on when I’m in a great mood and it’s what I put on when I need a lift. It’s what I blast on road trips and it’s perfect for a boat cruise on the lake. Thank you, Minus The Bear.”
Noah Baxter (drums)
Three Trapped Tigers — Silent Earthling
“I vividly remember staying up past midnight in 2016 refreshing the Bandcamp link over and over waiting for the full record to drop. I’d lost track of the number of times I had watched their previous music video for ‘Reset’ (featuring Matt Berry as basically a televangelist god), but I knew from the first single that this one was going to be different. To this day, I’ve never heard a more cohesive combination of everything I love about synthesizers, virtuosic drumming, effects driven guitar riffs, and somehow both the prettiest chords and gnarliest tones imaginable. I’ve always been a massive Battles fan, thanks in no small part to my drum teacher David Coniglio (and the inclusion of ‘Atlas’ in LittleBigPlanet), and Three Trapped Tigers gives me the exact same kind of warm fuzzies every time I hear it. I think [drummer] Adam Betts is uniquely responsible for my preference in snare tones, just that tightly tuned rim shock crack is sublime, and don’t even get me started on the DnB chops of ‘Rainbow Road’ or the crazy cool percussive cowbell glitch beat in ‘Egrams.’ The guitars utilise up to three octave pedals at once with these stutter glitch effects in all the coolest ways that have clearly influenced the sonic palettes I’ve pushed for in Lockslip. And I just adore how they’re able to be a three piece with a synth player taking on the role of bass, who actually plays synths instead of just sequencing everything and calling it a day. You can hear how everything from the arpeggios to the lead lines, the sub bass parts, the reinforced multi octave guitar lines all have this human sway and time-feel that I’ve never heard this good from any band. If you enjoy music that pushes the boundaries but is also unbelievably pleasant to listen to, this is a perfect record. 10/10. I’m going to go listen to it again right now actually.”
*Photo by Harper Lee
Lockslip
Bandcamp
Bleakhouse Records
The post Full Album Stream: Let’s Have <em>The Conversation</em> About Lockslip’s Favourite Albums appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
