Chavez
Gone Glimmering (1995)
eatdogs
Chavez are an indie rock back from New York who formed in
1993 and released two independent albums on Matador. Their music incorporates
elements of Post-Hardcore, Indie, and Math-Rock. Gone Glimmering was released in 1995 and went largely unnoticed in
the mainstream, with the exception of the band having a music video show up on
Beavis and Butthead at one point and the occasional gushing review.
Taking cues from cult bands like Slint and Mission of Burma,
Chavez tore through the underground college scene of the late 90’s and
established a loyal following and garnered word-of-mouth for their live shows and
recorded material. At times you could find the band playing gigs with the likes
of Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, and Guided by Voices. It’s just a shame they didn’t
get more recognition…
Gone Glimmering is
indie rock forced through a hardcore feeling. The musicianship is quite good
with angular riffs and dynamic shifts that tread on the dramatic level. Think
of perhaps Fugazi or Unwound spliced with a bit of Quicksand and Superchunk.
Yeah that’s a lot of material to gloss over, but Chavez really did shine in the
thick of all those amazing talents.
Opening track “Nailed to the Blank Spot†starts things up with
screeching guitars that can remind the listener of how awesome heavy indie rock
can be that straddles the metal edge. Helmet did it, Handsome did it, Orange 9mm
did it, and Chavez did it as well. This is really good stuff and the rest of
the album doesn’t let up too much except on certain songs like “Laugh Trackâ€
and “The Ghost by The Sea†where that Post-Hardcore style dips a bit into that
good ol’ 90’s emo tinge.
But of course don’t let all those dynamics fool you! The
album continues its plunge into indie rock depths with other notable tracks
like “Pentagram Ring†with its more poppy side reminiscent of Pavement and “Wakeman’s
Air†which reminded me a bit of Shudder to Think.
Nine tracks accompany this album and that’s
enough. There’s enough bite to get through a half hour of your day and Gone Glimmering is worth a listen just
to help you get around to filling out all those empty spots in your musical
journey. Give Chavez a listen why don’t ya?