Crimes

by The Blood Brothers

Overview

Crimes is Blood Brothers' V2 debut, and their fourth album overall. The quintet is still led by blaring, interwoven vocals of Johnny Whitney and Jordan Blilie. One screams and yelps in a very high register, the other is not so high, but still great at screaming. The Brothers' basic sound is jagged and post-punk-derived, full of hyper percussion and jerking, screeching guitars. But while this might sound like chaos, it's not. Like Whirlwind Heat or the Icarus Line, the Blood Brothers always provide a counterweight to their noisier, freakier sides. Depending on the song, that weight can either be furious rock energy, laptop experimentation, or pianos and accordions used in illegal ways. Crimes keeps a tight lid on the nervous energy that's always defined the group, channeling it into aggressive songs that often suggest the damaged, exciting grooves of vintage Brainiac (particularly "Teen Heat" and "Trash Flavored Trash"), as well as subtler numbers with atmosphere to spare. Though it periodically explodes into a metal-ish racket, "Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck" pulsing rhythms and arching guitar lines mostly follow the contours of the dance-punk scene en vogue in the early 2000s. The title track skulks along with a plodding bassline and lyrics about robbing liquor stores and wandering through landfills; it eventually recedes into the rich tones of a Wurlitzer, and the vocalists' quiet sighs. "Celebrator" begins as an a cappella dirge, but detonates unexpectedly into raucous triple-time. Other highlights include the lurching, grinding opener, "Feed Me to the Forest," the frantic, piano-driven "Peacock Skeleton With Feathers," and "My First Kiss at the Public Execution," which finds an incredibly sharp chorus hook in between its bloodcurdling screams. ~ Johnny Loftus

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2024
Label:	Epitaph
UPC:	0045778705801
Rank:	121627

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Blood Brothers   Primary Artist
Morgan Henderson   Guitar (Bass),Double Bass,Bass,Piano,Guitar,Voices,Accordion,Synthesizer,Bass (Upright),Vocals (Background)
Cody Votolato   E-Bow,Guitar,Trumpet,Percussion,Whistle (Human),Guitar (Baritone),Vocals (Background)
Jordan Blilie   Guitar,Vocals,Percussion
Nick Zinner   Guitar
Sean Reveron   Vocals
Mark Gajadhar   Drums,Percussion
Johnny Whitney   Piano,Vocals,Farfisa Organ,Wurlitzer,Percussion

Technical Credits

Kip Beelman   Audio Engineer,Engineer
John Goodmanson   Audio Engineer,Audio Production,Producer,Engineer,Mixing
The Blood Brothers   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Aasron Malasko   Drum Technician
Morgan Henderson   Composer
Jakael Tristram   Assistant Engineer
Cody Votolato   Composer
Jordan Blilie   Drawing,Composer
Casey Foubert   Producer
Brian Gardner   Mastering
Justin Armstrong   Assistant Engineer
Mark Gajadhar   Composer
Mike Ott   Video Director
Johnny Whitney   Layout Design,Composer