Manchester Punk Festival Releases 37th Compilation
Manchester Punk Festival have released the 37th volume of their compilation series ahead of this year’s festival. Manchester Punk Festival Vol. 37 is…
Self Titled - Self Released
Hundred Year Storm is collaboration project of some of Austin, Texas most renown local bands. Members from The Kirby (who recently signed to The Militia Group), Fairfax, and Falls Victim joined up with front man Bill McCharen to form the indie/experimental whirlwind that is Hundred Year Storm. And when you see a collaboration project with this many various band members, you expect to hear something good, and unfortunately they didn’t quite pull through all the way.
You know those CDs where you have a bunch of songs that are pretty nonchalant, monotonous, even boring, filling up a CD and then suddenly the band throws in a curve ball with a song that just blows you away? That is what Hundred Year Storm‘s self-titled EP is like. The first five tracks of the EP aren’t horrible, but are far from being classics or even that memorable They are all musically driven, with very few lyrics – two songs are fully instrumental with absolutely no singing. These songs, which normally last over five minutes, tend to be a bit too slow and repetitive at times, although they do show some high points. Each track is made of slow, melodic, piano based, emotional music, all done in a very experimental fashion.
But out of the first five songs, nothing really happens, then you hit the sixth and final track,Pilot’s Last Broadcast, and you are blown away. The track, which clocks in at 7:55, is an instrumental where the only speaking is scratchy radio signals of the final seconds before a plane crashes and the operator’s responses. The song, which is so simple, is extremely moving and delicate. Its the type of song they would play during the climax of a sad plane crash movie, when all hope is fizzling out. Its hard to explain, but this track is quite simply phenomenal. If only the rest of the album had followed suit.
In all honesty, I doubt Hundred Year Storm‘s will get much play time in my CD player, because it is lacking a solid back bone. But that one song, Pilot’s Last Broadcast, will find its way onto many of my mix tapes.