Stereo Total and Coliseum

Stereo Total's "LA CA USA" ended the side on half a dozen of my mix tapes in the late 1990s, partly because it was 2 minutes long, mostly because it was so awesome. (These were the driving around to the playground years...a little punk rock went a long way towards making me feel like my old self. And Sean liked it, too, though not as much as SFA's "Chupacabra"). Anyway, with all that baggage, how could I not review the new Stereo Total? And how could I not, ultimately, be disappointed?

My review at Dusted today, begins:

The difference between retro cool and anachronism is one of attitude. You can pillage all the referential kitsch you want – whether roller-rink synth lines, electro-clash machine-drums, J-pop croonery, glitter-ball dance beats or advertising jingle cleverness – from whatever decade and stay current, as long as you maintain the right degree of certitude. “Le hip, c’est moi,” is the necessary stance. Start to doubt yourself, and it’s all downhill.

The rest

Ooh baby, it's "Baby Ouh!"

On the other hand, I had no real expectations for the new Coliseum, having missed the whole KY hardcore backstory, as well as the the earlier Relapse records. So I sort of enjoyed the new House with a Curse and urged everyone in Philadelphia to get the hell down to the show yesterday.

Coliseum
6pm, $10. Barbary.
Ryan Patterson got his start in Kentucky hardcore band National Acrobat before forming the legendarily abrasive Black Cross with his brother in 2001. His latest band, Coliseum, seemed at first to be a continuation of his uncompromising Black Flag-and-early-Dischord-referencing journey. Lately, a switch from hardcore mainstay Relapse Records to the more expansive post-rock territories of Temporary Residence has heralded a change in Coliseum’s sound. House with a Curse, the band’s latest, has string parts, discernible melodies and backing vocal cameos from Bonnie Prince Billy and J. Robbins. Though still blistering, still built on monumental riffs, still ragged with metal-shredded vocals, Coliseum’s songs have taken a more distended approach, with a droning undercurrent that might remind you of Kyuss. (Jennifer Kelly)

"Blind in One Eye"

What's that? You don't live in Philly? You might still be able to see Coliseum. Dates:
Wed July 7 - Bethlehem, PA @ Secret Art Space *
Thu July 8 - Brooklyn, NY @ Europa *
Fri July 9 - Allston, NY @ Great Scott *
Sat July 10 - Montreal, QC @ Friendship Cove *
Sun July 11 - Ottawa, QC @ Maverick's (18+) *
Mon July 12 - Toronto, ON @ Parts & Labor *
Tue July 13 - Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Community *
Wed July 14 - Cleveland, OH @ Grop Shop *
Thu July 15 - Detroit, MI @ Smalls (21+) *
Fri July 16 - Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob's *
Sat July 17 - Toledo, OH @ Frankie's *