Review Summary: Transcendental Noise Orgy.
Attention! Chicago-based trio Lifeguard have perfected a fusion of all things noise rock, post-hardcore, and American indie rock with its third EP
Dressed in Trenches. Listeners will be treated to a clever and concise combination of angular riffs, off-kilter rhythms, and burling basslines which, along with the driving, mathy drums, provide a highly energetic and addictive selection of tracks with a distinct reek of the early 90s. Raw, organic production further enhances the old school sound and couldn’t suit this succulent 18-minute banquet of material any better. An experimental approach to songwriting pays off as the band abandons conventional song structures while also effortlessly bridging the gap between melody and atonality – impressive for a band with an average age of seventeen. Front loaded with the most melodic tracks “17-18 Lovesong” and “Alarm”, the EP swells in intensity as it progresses, with centrepiece “Ten Canisters (OFB)” acting as an eardrum-bursting climax of noise before things simmer down ever so slightly for the final two tracks. In my mind,
Dressed in Trenches exists in a parallel universe: the sonic result of a twisted f
uckfest comprising the members of Sonic Youth, The Jesus Lizard and Pixies at their respective primes, with equal parts body fluids and testosterone coming together in a delightful throwback to the glory days of yesteryear. Allow yourself to be fully penetrated and submit to the bukkake of noise.
