June of 44
Anahata (Quarterstick)
by Joe Cardamone
When I received this CD in the mail, I immediately slipped it into my stereo. From the first note of “Wear Two Eyes” I knew that this record would be a departure from all previous June of 44 records. Then I started cleaning the house whilst shaking my ass to pumping bass ala Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Midway through the album, my friend Keith showed up to take me to his house for some serious business, but I made sure to grab the CD before we left. Upon arrival, I popped the CD into Keith’s disc player and sat down to burn plants with my already waiting cohort, Lance. Lance, an avid June of 44 fan and natural born skeptic, looked puzzled through his halo of smoke as we made it through the first three songs of Anahata. What better way to review a record than having a listening party with two of my best friends? As we sat at the kitchen table in Keith’s apartment, June of 44’s Anahata filled the smoky air with almost tribal pulses of sound that stirred curiosity in all of us. Lance was a bit disappointed by the overwhelming drum and bass explosion; he was definitely not expecting this from Quarterstick’s finest. But he said the record would probably grow on him.
Not being familiar with the group’s music, Keith had a puzzled sort of “What the fuck is this?” look on his face. As we got deeper into the album, his head started to bob in time which was enough to show me he approved. I was much more taken by the vocals which carry unusual but welcome melodies throughout the record. June of 44’s ability to mutate their music from record to record never ceases to amaze me; this is definitely their boldest venture to date. The guitars still intricately wind and weave through the rhythm section but in a less obvious manner than ever before. Rather than being the dominating melodies, Anahata‘s guitars compliment the vocals that still struggle to become a full fledged lead instrument. June of 44 is growing and developing with every release, and I applaud them for having the balls to change. Wonderful music to spend a warm summer day sitting around and doing less than nothing to.
(PO 25520 Chicago, IL 60625)
