Blood Brothers - Young Machetes

Blood Brothers
Young Machetes
V2
Grade: A-

The Blood Brothers have had a recent string of bad luck. First, many in the indie intelligentsia poo-pooed the fifteen-song Young Machetes for some reason…more on that in a second. Then, Blood Brothers’ label V2 shut it North American doors and put Blood Brothers out in the snow – though it should take about five seconds for a new deal to be struck somewhere. Back to the album. Following the band members’ various side projects over the past couple of years, Jordan Blilie, Mark Gajadhar, Morgan Henderson, Cody Votolato, and Johnny Whitney, unleash one of the band’s most wide flinging, balls-out, interesting records of their existence. Possibly the guys’ work in other outfits brought new energy and innovativeness to their crazed, noisy hardcore punk, but whatever the reason Young Machetes is smoking. Opening the album yelling “fire, fire, fire” on “Set Fire to the Face on Fire,” Blood Brothers rocks through such stunners as the synth-driven and multiple vocal “Laser Life,” the strange billion sectioned “Camouflage, Camouflage,” the thumping throwback “Spit Shine Your Black Clouds,” the hard angular “Johnny Ripper,” the odd pop of “Street Wars/Exotic Foxholes,” and the wild closer “Giant Swan.” The only possible knock on Young Machetes is that fifteen songs at fifty-one minutes might be too much Blood Brothers at once for anyone.