Fireside

Do Not Tailgate (American)
by Sheril Stanford

How can you find fault with a band that uses artwork by fantastic Fantagraphics artist Dan Clowes? Luckily, their musical choices are as good as their artistic ones. Fireside has created quite a buzz, and one listen will tell you why. The band hails from Sweden and, appropriately, Do Not Tailgate is a collection of tunes that are brittle and harsh, with moments of stunning yet remote beauty. They bill themselves as emocore and the disc reeks of loss, self-defeat, self-hatred and self-pity, shot through with anger and bitterness. Musically, it’s hardcore through and through, but with dark, intense melodies. “Left Rustle” is the most familiar-sounding of the lot, with the melodic and catchy repeat chorus line, “You blow the candle out, and I can’t stop you.” The track is followed by “Kilotin,” dark, driving and ferocious, with gale-force guitar, a hailstorm of rhythm, and lead vocals wailing, “Once in a while I need to hear that I’m okay/ why can’t you tell me that I’m okay?” “Circulate” is a speedy, thrashy, hit-and-run cut, and bitterness and defeat are the order of the day on the ferocious “Sucking the Dust.” Interestingly, track 12, which is listed on the track list as “Not in My Palace,” is, in fact, a stripped-down version of “Sucking the Dust.” You know the seven stages of grief and loss? Well, this is the disc to listen to when you hit the bitterness stage after your most recent breakup.