Bands like Oxes, Ent and Volta Do Mar were bringing the guitar-led complexity to math rock, but Piglet added the speed. Looking through the annals of early 2000’s math rock, one of the more likely reasons that Lava Land garnered so much acclaim was simply that Piglet played faster. Still, he didn’t have the answer for this bleeding question. The more I spoke to him, the more he struck me as a guy who is methodical, goal-oriented and with complete control of his systems and goals. On the contrary, he asked me as many questions as I did of him and Piglet. In my interviews with Ezra, his answers were forthright and matter-of-fact, but never terse. It is hard pinpoint exactly what it was that made Piglet‘s 2005 EP Lava Land such a landmark album. The three of them, and maybe even the three Time Police, know that this is going to be the name of the album. “Yeah,” says the hallucinating one, “yeah I think I am in Lava Land”. “You think you are in Lava Land?” responds one of the other salvia-stained two. He turns to his two band mates and he says “I think I am in La La Land”. He sees three figures hovering around the shed, apparitions which he will later call the ‘Time Police’ for reasons only known to himself. Tonight, they smoked a bunch of salvia and one of them has collapsed on the floor. The warm shed is the locus of labour, the stark Chicago blizzards are where these three boys find their solace. This week they were been couped up in the shed for days, only bracing the cold outside to smoke cigarettes on the wet swing set, a chance to recollect. Finally, they’ve finished writing what will be their first proper extended play release. Makeshift pads insulate the sound, or at least the teenagers presume so as they haven’t had a noise complaint for the many weeks they’ve been working. Here’s what you really came for, my photos of PEARS, Still Alive, The Eradicator and Salvation that I took at the Beat Kitchen on Octoin Chicago, Illinois.It’s snowing in Chicago, and three teenagers have filled a gloomy little shed with instruments and amplifiers. Remember to ask Kendra if my “end/best” of the year thing will have to only include photos that were used on Bad Copy or if I can use stuff I didn’t use on the site.Should I start writing about The Showcase Showdown? They were so good but will people even know who they were?.Will we ever find out the identity of the Zodiac Killer?.
If I’m not maybe I should just try to sneak in a link or something and hope that Kendra doesn’t notice. Find out if I’m allowed to use these reviews to promote things like my Fireside Bowl shirt.I should probably have some kind of photo show again but where should I do it? Find out how “art galleries” work.Tommy falling off the barstool onto the floor the other night was kind of funny.Sidekick Kato at Chop Shop on Novemis going to be fun.Dropping half a pack of cigarettes on the ground running up the stairs because Void was being played over the PA at Liar’s Club was kind of stupid.The Brokedowns is definitely my favorite band in Chicago, but should I continue to mention them in all of my reviews? I should at least mention them one more time so I can talk about how photos of mine were used on the insert of their new album, Sick of Space.