Haymarket Riot

Endless Bummer (2009)

Brian Shultz

We've said some pretty friendly things about Chicago's Haymarket Riot in the past, and Endless Bummer refuses to let pleasantries die. The band's first studio album in five years is another rock-solid collection of super tight post-hardcore tunes that `90s Dischord fans should surely appreciate.

Fugazi comparisons have run pretty rampant in said reviews, and while Endless Bummer probably won't change that, it actually reminds me more of At the Drive-In on in/CASINO/OUT. I know, it's basically apples and Bleinheim oranges in that sense, but Kevin J. Frank's got this voice that just directly reminds me of Cedric's, sometimes even Jim Ward's circa Sparta's most ATDI-leaning days.

Endless Bummer does play through with a methodical and less spastic sense, however, with more of a heavier, straightforward, thumping, Jawbox-esque plod. It's quite enthralling, however, with plenty of versatility in the guitar effects that make a song like the six-minute "Chasing Endurance" (perfectly titled) captivating enough. "Good Night, Nurse!" has plenty of interesting guitar work too, with this one riff playing in and out of the proceedings and another making for a great between-verse dirge. At nine tracks and 41 minutes, some of the songs definitely drag on a bit, but not horribly so.

While I think Olehole pretty much tore this style a new hole on last year's Holemole, Endless Bummer is still one of the better entries for a beloved and often difficult sound to make sufficiently interesting.

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