Burning Light into Scars---White Lung---Deep Fantasy

Just for laughs, I decided to finally talk about an album in the same year that it was released.

Grind your bones to sand.........

Deep Fantasy by White Lung.....



I know that this is getting a lot of attention from various sources, but this is such a superb record that everybody ought to be talking about it, even me. Now that they have gotten released their 3rd album on a big indie label, Domino, let's hope that this sends this band to a higher level of public consciousness. No one expects a Franz Ferdinand level breakout, but this release is serious, serious stuff.

Angry, melodic hardcore from Vancouver. At this point, it is as Canadian as Maple Syrup. But they are not followers, but actively trailblazing with scorched earth and extreme prejudice, adding to and embellishing a renowned Northern pedigree.

One of the pitfalls of hardcore is that a lot of the bands wind up sounding the same. Speed is the guilty party here. And not all of the bands have interesting unique things to shout about. True, it is often as much about community as the music. But then again there are a lot of mediocre bands to found in any of the many subgenres out there. But there are always exceptions...., which is why we still listen.

Certainly White Lung are by all accounts taking a genre and reinventing it. In addition to loud and fast rules, there is a lot of great guitar pyrotechnics going on, like a revved-up version of the great NYC band Live Skull, or even the noise synchronicity of classic Leatherface. And I'm unsurprisingly reminded of Penelope Houston and the Avengers. I'm just listening to the powerful visceral sounds coming out of my headphones right now, and I know that it will be over before I realize it--10 songs in 22 minutes, not a lot  of proggy guitar noodling here.




And in this case, lead singer Mish Way, has a lot to say. And these lyrics are very very personal and on her owns terms. The imagery seems to be about relationships gone worn, about humiliation and abasement, about hard-won life lessons. But also about fighting back. But those are just my impressions. Let me just say that she is a formidable front woman, with kind of unique power we've seen in say, Kurt Cobain. had. And as far as impressions go, this is an album you will not sit on the fence about. You'll either dislike it or absolutely embrace everything they are about. Deep Fantasy will grab you by the throat. For me this album is like a breath of fresh air on the music scene.

Mish Way: Vocals
Anne-Marie Vassiliou--Drums
Kenneth Williams--guitar/bass

If you love punk rock, or great rock music in general, this is the shit, folks. I can't wait to see them live!