Founded by Louisville musician Ryan Patterson and including Kayhan Vaziri and Carter Wilson, power trio Coliseum have grown to become one of today's quintessential contemporary punk bands. Successfully melding progressive musicianship, hardcore fervor, and vital social awareness into one constantly evolving artistic vision.
βAnxietyβs Kissβ is the latestΒ album from Coliseum, recorded at The Magpie Cage by producer/engineer J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). βAnxietyβs Kissβ is a hook-laden maturation of the Coliseum sound. Nods to their early D-Beat leanings are there, but it is their willingness to embrace Post-Punk melody and explore the space between notes that make βAnxietyβs Kissβ so alluring. Confidently growing within the punk world, without ever leaving it behind.
βWe Are The Waterβ kicks things off with a synth-driven stomp while lyrically serving as a poignant social awakening and call for human empathy. Amidst a tangle and twang of melody, βCourse Correctionβ and βWrong/Goodbyeβ then emerge to tackle the ripe subjects of class division and police brutality. βDrums & Amplifiersβ picks up pace, taking on those who reflect on their punk past rather than absorb the spirit that still charges the air around us. Itβs not all social and subcultural commentary though. The dizzying βDark Light Of Seductionβ and sultry βSharp Fangs, Pale Fleshβ (where J. Robbins guests performing the BulBul Tarang) are darkly provocative narratives about the power of lust and love. In soul and tone, they both interject an emotional underbelly to it all. Robbins also adds bass on βComedownβ, an industrial-tinged romp led by Vaziriβs baritone guitar and Wilsonβs booming toms. Coincidentally, it is also the first Coliseum song ever recorded to not feature Patterson on guitar. βSunlight in a Snowstormβ is the band at their most melodic, with a snow-covered New York City as its lyrical backdrop. The high beam lit, cinematic noir of βDriver at Duskβ and infectious, fuzzed-out βEscape Yr Skullβ lastly descend to close out the album. A flawless, yin and yang pairing that is Coliseum at the peak of their experimental and anthemic powers.
Track Listing: 01. We Are The Water 02. Course Correction 03. Wrong/Goodbye 04. Drums & Amplifiers 05. Dark Life Of Seduction 06. Sharp Fangs, Pale Flesh 07. Comedown 08. Sunlight In A Snowstorm 09. Driver At Dusk 10. Escape Yr Skull
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