Christiansen – Stylish Nihilists – Review

Christiansen

Stylish Nihilists (Revelation)
by Evan Solochek

Just as the former members of At the Drive-In moved on to their own projects, their hearts and souls moved on directly into Christiansen. The second full-length by this Kentucky quartet wastes no time blowing you away. The first song roars in and grabs a hold of you the instant your finger presses the play button, and doesn’t let go until the final note of the last track. Christiansen offers tightly-assembled and intensely beautiful songs, complimented by the angst-ridden falsetto of Brandon Christiansen, filled with dark subject matters such as in “Dead Celebrities Are Amusing” (“hey, you might live to die/we all die alone/you’re such a little girl/hey, you’re going to die”) and “The Middle Finger” (“when you die I’ll be your DJ/and we’ll dance and scream and drink to mainstream/or bury your firstborn and try to get on in life”). The highlight of the album is “Jhazz Never Spelled So Good,” which appeared on their 2002 EP Forensics Brothers and Sisters! This time around, they’ve restrained the intensity, which in a weird way, made the passion more concentrated. It’s like the old adage: What’s not said can sometimes say the most.

Stylish Nihilists is an amazing example of seething power-indie-rock that for 11 straight tracks doesn’t let your pounding heart take a break.
(PO Box 5232 Huntington Beach, CA 92614)