Desperate Living - Horse the Band

Out of the spectrum of bands I listen to, I must admit I have no particular reason for liking Horse the Band, other than that they are so not like anything else out there in metal and stick to their guns when it comes to their craft. If you don't happen to know, Horse the Band is jokingly self-branded as nintendo-core, the most bizarre combination of 8-bit melodies and hardcore breakdowns. Prog-rock guitars, blast beats to rim shots, an NES emulator for a keyboardist, and a vocalist who sounds like the biggest nerd from your class, except he dropped out of school cause he got really into death metal. It's these somewhat unrelated elements matched with an inherent adolescence that is the key to never having lost their activation energy and love of ADHD songwriting, skipping from odd-time into total abrasion before breaking down into atmospherics or jump-up-and-down fist-pumping four-on-the-floor disco/punk. They're insane.

You might remember them for that one tune Birdo, a moment of brilliance that was birthed at both the right and wrong time - it got them some fame but no one respected the genre. Desperate Living could describe the way they've spent most of their career since that random hit: with little label assistance and poor personal funding, they are a true DIY that thrive completely on that adolescent power, booking their own shows and calling on fans for support. I saw them open for Poison the Well, then hang out after the show asking around for a place to stay because their management was so fed up with their destructive antics, allegedly only fueled by soda and pizza. They could have just been talking shit, but I know not if they slept well that night. Now, a bit older, on a better label, they're fully armed to make this the first record that really captures them at their most advanced. Consider this the latest upgrade to their firmware.

From the start it seems as if they're more serious, but not much more mature, which feeds their fantastic character. I won't say there are any new tricks, or more original breakdowns from guitarist David Isen, but the focus is much stronger on the construction of their brand of insanity, blending riffs together with random bits that fit, despite being a complete switch, ranging from 80s new wave soundtrack moments to references from Mega Man and even a live sample from Super Mario. That sporadic and relentless energy is dually reflected in the smart and equally dynamic production and structure of songs like Golden Mummy Golden Bird and their tribute to comic book of the same name Science Police, which could easily be their next single. The lyrics are just as brash, hilarious, juvenile, sentimental and senseless as ever, with Nathan Winneke occasionally doppleganging the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, complimenting their sonic efforts perfectly. They're even brash enough to write a song called Horse the Song, and reference themselves as special guests Lord Gold (nickname for keyboardist Erik Engstrom) and His Purple Majesty. Don't be fooled, however - somewhere under that armor of surface idiocy is a force with heart and soul and a vast conflated metaphor about serious issues. By the time you hear special guest Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu sing "let's sing that crippled song together" on their single Shapeshift, you just might be moved.