Crocodiles - Summer of Hate

I'm gonna make this one rather quick. I have a ton of shit to do, and this happens to be my current mode of procrastination.

Today's album: Crocodiles - Summer of Hate
Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze, Noise Punk
Released: 2009
Running time: 9 tracks, 33:59
In a nutshell: Yet another noise-punk duo captures our attention

Is pop-punk done yet? I'm actually asking you because I honestly don't know. I still listen to pop-punk albums I was in to about 5-7 years ago for the sake of nostalgia, but otherwise I feel like I've grown out of the genre. It was (still is?) cheezy fun, but I'm not 17 anymore.

That being said, I'm beginning to see a new pop-punk trend forming in indie/hipster circles: the lo-fi, noise-punk duo. As far as I can tell this started with No Age, and has gained momentum with bands like Wavves and Japandroids. These bands are freakin' cool, in that unmistakably high school way; that is to say, cool without reason. Cool without money, without football field conquests, without glitz or glam. They are cool with raw charisma, or more specifically, raw hooks. They supplement these hooks with thoughtful, spirited, and often messy sonic soundscapes. This is their way of rebelling against the structures that make them cool; in other words, this is what gives their cool substance.

So, are Crocodiles jumping onto this bandwagon? Maybe. They definitely have the hooks and charisma needed to hang with the cool kids. Their radio hit, I Wanna Kill, is brilliantly catchy, dirty, and yes, probably stolen. Refuse Angels buzzes and screeches with fast-paced feedback, like a JAMC song about to derail.

Other tracks, such as the stompy waltz of Flash of Light, seem to reign the noise in a little more. In fact, I would say that the entire album's use of effects is much more directed than you might expected. The result may not be totally original, but it's incredibly enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the slow, psychadelic parade of Here Comes the Sky. Overall, there seems to be more of an effort to please here, which ironically makes Summer of Hate less of a sellout than you might think, given the pretentious abrasiveness of current trends.

Yea. Take that pitchfork.