Monday, December 20, 2010

Holy Rollers - Origami Sessions

Another post-hardcore DC Dischord band. These guys (and gal - Maria Jones on drums) were on the melodic end of the spectrum.  They incorporated vocal harmonies, taking advantage of Jones' voice, which really set them apart from their peers in DC. Her drumming style is also quite distinctive. It sounds like she's belting an empty can a lot of the time (and even a cowbell at one point), but it works. Her drumming seems to be a centerpiece of this band's sound, as the bass isn't featured prominently, and the guitars sound like typical DC sound stuff.

The second half (or at least I think it is, the sleeve shows the opposite, but inscription in the vinyl says it's so...) of this EP really picks up steam after a bit of an uneven start with "Dahlia" and "Machine" "Eleventy" starts slow, but builds, and the energy and pace carries straight into "Freedom Asking". These were all re-recorded for their first LP, As Is, and they pared down the first tracks, and lengthened the last two.

This was an early purchase, straight from Dischord, entirely on a whim. I'd never heard them or even of them before. I liked it enough to pick up As Is, and the CD of  Fabuley which contains all of the As Is material on it, so I won't be ripping that. I haven't listened to this stuff in ages, I'll have to check those out again.

A: Dahlia, Machine
B: Eleventy, Freedom Asking
Enjoy!

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