Coma Regalia - Ours Is The Cause Most Noble 2x7"

Labels: I.Corrupt Records/Middle-Man Records/Skin & Bones Records/Time As A Color/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 03 July 2015

Tracklist:

1. The Sleeping Dragon

2. The Knight In The Squire's Imagination

3. The Architect Of The Castle Keep

4. The Artist Lacking Vision

5. The Stone Golem

6. The Leper Within The Walls

7. The Magician's Clumsy Apprentice

8. The Lich With A Heart Of Gold

9. The Undead Swordsman

10. The Thief Who Craves Capture

11. The False Healer

12. The Many Who Became One

I'm back on the ZBR trail today after another less than productive week. I'm sorry about the irregular nature of things at the moment. Ours Is The Cause Most Noble was released in mid-2015 and is the second of six (so far) full-lengths from US emoviolence/hardcore mainstay Coma Regalia. It wasn't released as a conventional full-length on a conventional 12" LP though. Instead Shawn went for a double 7" release with handmade screen-printed gatefold covers, limited to 500 covers. I'm not sure if this is a concept album of sorts, as there is a medieval/castle theme throughout and Shawn did perform on and help to release a tape for a project called Knights Of Ganymede in 2018, so who knows!

If you’re at all familiar with Coma Regalia (and if you’ve visited this blog at all over the last few years, you should be!), then you’ll know that the band essentially plays fast yet musical hardcore/screamo. That formula though has alway been tweaked by Shawn and the end results sometimes come as a surprise. The album’s opener ‘The Sleeping Dragon’ acts as a short intro yet there’s a full-band approach that leads into ‘The Knight In The Squire’s Imagination’. The thing that strikes with me with Coma Regalia whenever I listen to them is the guitar melodies. They’re always really epic and here, they take centre stage while clean singing can be heard deeper in the mix. There’s a build-up in the middle before a dramatic latter-half, where the harsher vocals and drums kick in again.

The other thing I love is Coma’s ability to create intense and instantly enjoyable songs, like the more punk influenced duo ‘The Architect Of The Castle Keep’ and ‘The Artist Lacking Vision’. Both have really driving rhythms and catchy riffs, with the latter of the two containing some chaotic emoviolence for good measure. ‘The Stone Golem’ highlights how good the band’s longer songs are. The song-writing that goes into them shows a level of care and thought, that carries on through the rest of the album.

I can’t put my finger on what other bands this reminds me of, so I’m not going to try and pluck names out fo the air. That distracts from the music and is lazy filler sometimes (something I’ve been guilty of in the past). ‘The Leper Within The Walls’ seems to have slight undertones within it’s riffs, being darker somehow. The feedback at the start of ‘The Magician’s Clumsy Apprentice’ is an audible reminder of the band’s DIY ethos, though that doesn’t mean it’s a lo-fi song. It isn’t, as the recording seems to be so full. Off-kilter rhythms take the lead on ‘The Lich With A Heart Of Gold’, which help to give it a proper old-school emo sound alongside the melodic guitar and the harsh/clean dual vocals. It’s fantastic! 

There’s a move to longer songs during the album’s second half and though that might not be by design, it’s certainly no hardship listening-wise. ‘The Undead Swordsman’ is much more instrumental, with the vocals taking more of a sensitive position in the song. It’s atmosphere is amplified because of that as well. ‘The Thief Who Craves Capture’ is more traditional in it’s nature (in screamo terms I guess). It still has plenty of punk in and tempo changes aplenty. Penultimate song ‘The False Healer’ is a beautiful piece of music, complete with calming violin from Ari Quinn Decker. It’s short but it leads neatly into album closer ‘The Many Who Became One’, which provides a passionate and emotive ending. 

Coma Regalia is a band with such a broad and extensive discography. Like the rest of that discography, Ours Is The Cause Most Noble should be explored and enjoyed in it’s full glory.

You can stream and purchase Ours Is The Cause Most Noble digitally below:-

Shawn and his family are facing a tough time right now, as they've been told they have to vacate the property they've lived in for the last 22 years. You can help them by picking up releases from the Middle-Man Records bandcamp page above or from the online store below:-

https://middlemanrecords.storenvy.com

Also, a Gofundme page has been set up here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/decker-family-moving-fund.

Coma Regalia - https://www.facebook.com/comaregalia

Copies are also available from the labels below:-

Time As A Color - https://timeasacolor.com/

Zegema Beach Records - CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/

I.Corrupt Records - https://www.facebook.com/icorruptrecs

Middle-Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords

Time As A Color Records - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

Zegema Beach Records -  https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Koenich - Early Morning Sailing

Labels: Koenich Sound/Time As A Color Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 09 Jun 2020

Tracklist:

1. Early Morning Sailing

2. Lev Ganin

3. Train Ride Thoughts

4. Churasan

5. Nankurunaisa

6. Cold

7. A Farewell

Everything still seems very strange at the moment and it's often hard to find the time to escape it all. I'm hoping that this tape (very kindly sent to me by Franz) will bring some calm. Koenich is the brainchild of musician and song-writer Franz Kindermann (previously of German post-hardcore/indie band Duct Hearts amongst others) and here he's joined by vocalist Marc Sesto (also of German rock/metal band Fire From Below). Early Morning Sailing was released in June on limited tape and also digitally via Koenich Sound and Time As A Color Records.

Koenich’s sound on Early Morning Sailing is grittier than you might think. The opening title song ‘Early Morning Sailing’ brings to mind the acoustic side of Alter Bridge in a subtle way thanks to Marc’s vocals, alongside some actually quite complex and musical guitar playing. This tape isn’t especially long and it’s interspersed with traditional folk instrumentals like ‘Lev Ganin’, which sounds like it’s been influenced by Middle Eastern scales and music. That’s my interpretation anyway. It’s a nice brief instrumental.

The other thing that’s nice about this tape is that Koenich includes ambient effects that match the song-titles, so on ‘Early Morning Sailing’ there was the sound of the sea and seagulls calling, and ‘Train Ride Thoughts’ begins with a train on the tracks that gives way to an upbeat indie song about life and home. There’s definitely a warming feeling that comes from it. Another interlude-like piece follows next with ‘Churasan’, which is a song that was performed by the Ryukyu Mura Cultural Village Performers from Japan. It was recorded specially for this tape (please correct me if this is wrong) and allows you to explore some world music, which is very much at home here.

’Nankurunaisa’ epitomises the clean and crisp production on Early Morning Sailing and even when subtle guitar dissonance does show through, it doesn’t overpower the song at all. Again it’s instrumental, adding to the calmness of the whole album. Penultimate song ‘Cold’ brings in more traditional instrumentation, showing yet more of Koenich’s creativity and the of Franz’s multi-instrumental talents. ‘A Farewell’ is a very apt song to end on as it gently winds it’s way through just over two-minutes of indie/folk. 

This whole tape is a real mix of different musical elements and it remains very cohesive. It’s definitely one of those releases that you can put on and drift away to, which is something I rarely feature but that I should change. I don’t know whether my words above have done it justice but Early Morning Sailing is wonderful and varied from start to finish. 

You can stream Early Morning Sailing and purchase it both on tape/via digital download below:-

Koenich - https://www.facebook.com/Koenich

Koenich Sound - https://koenichsound.bandcamp.com

Time As A Colour - https://timeasacolor.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/

Amid The Old Wounds - Vignette 7"

Labels: Time As A Color

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 07 Aug 2020

Tracklist:

1. Vignette

2. Great Expectations

3 Instant Stars (Demo)

I have a ton of new music in physical formats to listen to and this 7" EP from Amid The Old Wounds is just one. Long time friend and awesomely creative musician/human being Daniel (also of Duct Hearts and Wishes On A Plane) sent me this a little while ago. The EP was released in early August by Time As A Color Records and was pressed onto 200 copies, 150 on black and 50 on clear purple vinyl, and was housed in a screen-printed card sleeve with a folder insert and centre labels featuring the heart above. The music contained within the grooves is acoustic emo. 

It’s been a strange day and I found no rhythm whatsoever while at work, so relaxation was well and truly needed. No heavy music this evening, instead the soothing melodic tones of Amid The Old Wounds and EP opening song ‘Vignette’, which is a quietly played and very moving. It allows for plenty of reflection, which is sometimes lost during the pace of modern life.

As this period of 2020 has taught many of us, life is fragile and sometimes slowing down is good. We’re all stuck in routine and taking a step back can be a great thing. It struck me while listening to ‘Great Expectations’ that there’s an element of that within the recording and it perhaps helped to shape the artistic process that Daniel went through.

EP closer ‘Instant Stars’ is a demo version and it’s short but sweet. Both the layered acoustic guitar and the gentle vocals bring a swathe a calm across you when listening and leaves you blissfully wanting more. People’s ingenuity and creativity has come to the fore during the recent uncertainty and none more so than here. Amid The Old Wounds warms the coldest of corners.

You can stream Vignette and buy it as a name-your-price download below:-

Physical copies can be purchased here - https://timeasacolor.com/amid-the-old-wounds-vignette-7/

Also, if that wasn't enough of a reason to visit Time As A Color, the label is also selling skateboarding accessories and shoes too.

Time As A Color - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/