Eviction Party: I’ve reviewed a fair amount of tapes put out by Sharpie Fumes now and have started recognizing names of band members that continue to crop up in various releases. Thusly (and I’ve got no idea how accurate I am) Halifax strikes me as a fairly small but very tight-knit, active, and way fun scene. Eviction Party (and Sharpie Fumes as a whole) seems to reflect this perfectly: blank tapes with spray-painted stencils, Xeroxed covers, frequently dodgy recordings, and tons of passion. Vocally and lyrically, they’re treading some heavy Crimpshrine ground, while the clean guitar and strumming style almost brings to mind the Ne’er Do Wells or some other ‘60s-inspired jam—though that lack of distortion and oomph might just be a question of gear or recording. Either way, it’s decent, smart, and melancholic stuff—given a slightly brighter recording (though the levels on this one are generally pretty good), I’d probably be all over this band. Leper: Some fairly dark and political hardcore with strained vocals and spot-on lyrical content. Plenty of group vocals and the occasional odd, jazzy interlude—can’t help but feel like I’ve heard stuff like this before (Forced March, maybe?) but also more than willing to admit that they’re really good at it. I liked the menacing ska undertones that continued to pop up in “Creep Anthem.” Definitely one of the more consistent Sharpie Fumes jobs, and if these aren’t just a few bands that got together for a weekend and recorded some songs, I’d say we all might want to keep our eyes out for future releases.
–keith (Sharpie Fumes)