Dustheads
Tall Tales I / Tall Tales II [7 inches] (2007)
Brian Shultz
Dustheads -- suddenly, Brooklyn has a new hardcore band at the top of its borough's game.
In recent months, Dustheads unleashed two companion 7-inches on Don Giovanni Records: Tall Tales I and the aptly titled Tall Tales II, both of which contain `80s hardcore tempered with a Suicide File-style party vibe -- an interesting hybrid for sure. Dustheads may have a bit of a cocksure swagger about them, but at least no one can question their confidence.
The wailing, flailing and overall speedy "Save Our Souls" opens I, and barely gives you enough time to sit down before you're up to excitedly flip to the B side. The intensity is kicked up a bit for "The Truth," and they close out the white disc solidly with "Tunnel Vision."
45 RPMs of aggro-rock'n'roll continues on II with "Altered States" and "Plagued" on Side A: the former finds a rare but briefly structured close-out wrapping it up, while vocalist Jared sounds as incensed as ever in the breezy latter. On B, we get the band anthem, "Dustheads," with its prolonged, increasingly sped-up breakdown, and the raucous "Lamprey," which throws in a few semi-spoken words for good measure.
Neither Tall Tale here really matches the power and destruction of Dustheads' live show, but one can certainly get a hint of it from this pair of 7-inches. With more music on the way this summer, including an LP and a Tall Tales 12", opportunities to recreate that live atmosphere are certainly plentiful. Matching it would make for one of the year's best debuts in hardcore.