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stevecanmakeanythingnerdy · 4 years

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Battle #11

Hemlock: Give Kids Candy ( Side One )

Vs.

Juice Newton : Dirty Looks ( Side 1 )

Hemlock: Give Kids Candy ( Side One )

Hemlock was an indie/post-hardcore band from California active in the mid-90's. I couldn’t find anything to specify which city, but based on the alum I am assuming homebase was San Diego. Hemlock featured members of other popular indie and underground groups as diverse as Fishwife, Rocket From The Crypt, No Knife, The Jade Shader, Pinback, Tanner, Radio Wendy, The Shortwave Channel, Reclyner, Keepsake, and Camera Obscura. Perhaps it’s why they were so short lived and have a small recorded output. They released two 7 inch records, a 12"/CD EP, and two full-length albums, while they appeared on countless compilations. All but the first full length (which was released on Liquid Meat Records) were released on seminal CA hardcore label Goldenrod. The label (formed in 1991) has ties to the pro skateboarding world and several noteworthy San Diego bands made their debut on Goldenrod Records. Among them are the previously mentioned No Knife, Heavy Vegetable, Boilermaker, 100 Watt Halo, The Crimson Curse, along with other more established acts like Three Mile Pilot, fluf, Supernova, Big Drill Car, Deadbolt and Cars Get Crushed, all indie rock and punk rock staples in the 90s. So it goes without saying (with all of that long setup) that they come from a good home with some professional morals and strong credentials. It’s like the band was born ready to rock. All of their songs are well crafted and executed with precision. It’s almost criminal how good and underrated the album is. They threw in extra touches too...like the hand screened cover, to the humorous condom included (for protection I assume). I consider this a hidden gem, and it’s an indie press so limited supply all you collector coots! This band sounds exactly like what Nirvana would have sounded like it they had still been around in the later 90s and adding emo elements like Braid and Vehicle Birth in an attempt to stay relevant. To start off we get “Cup ‘O Gold”. It’s an emo punk binge with bang sauce. Blistering beats and some math rock to boot. “Shamu Tone” is abrasive and methodical with metallic riffs of pure lead heavyweight heart. Odd time signatures compliment the even blends of harmonies. It counterbalanced with the chaotic mess (in a good way) of the song, “C Mears”. Following that is “Missing Link”- the pretty slow one that every band seems to have around this time. This is 100% a band I would have driven 3 plus hours to see in some basement back in the day. It devolves quickly into fast blasts with clever wordplay. “Black Cat” is as explosive as the fireworks it may be named after. Mellow and dramatic all at once. And of course there can be no doubt that we must have a serving of the slow rugga chugga so popular in 90s alternative subaculture (#seewhatididthere #pixiesreference) in the song “Artichoke”. Yes, too bad this band was short lived, but they certainly put out quality during their brief stint. Recommend if you come across it.

Juice Newton : Dirty Looks ( Side 1 )

Judy Kay "Juice" Newton is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. To date, Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories - winning once in 1983. She’s probably best known for a song from her Quiet Lies album called "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" (which garnered her another Pop Female Vocalist Grammy nomination). Often thought of as a country artist, it was a little unusual then for her 1983 album Dirty Looks. The direction for it was decidedly more rock-oriented and experimental than her usual blending of folk, pop and country styles. The album spawned a moderate-sized hit with "Tell Her No". It is truly slow pop radio tripe with an almost salsa/flamenco flare. A very heavy keyboard presence. Prior to that though is the lead track “Dirty Looks”. Very poppy and produced. I am sure this was intended to be the big hit but it’s quite forgettable IMO. Skipping ahead we find “Til I Loved You”- which is a return to her slow country pop. It’s definitely the style that suits her voice best and seems much more natural for her. I think the label was trying to Linda Rondstant her or something. “Keeping Me on my Toes” is more of the Juicy fruit (#seewhatididthere) I was expecting. Piano folk and country-fied. It’s not my cup of tea but it is decent for this genre. The last entry for submission is a tear jerker P. O. V. tune - Joan Baez style - (eye roll) about a lament for the past and how things have changed. Meh, it’s been done before and better. It’s called “Twenty Years Ago”. The whole thing seems very studio musicians collaboration in that it was just her songs with whatever talent was laying around. I’m giving Juice (cool first name, but it’s just a nickname) Dirty Looks (#seewhatididthere) until that stylus returns.

Hemlock may have given kids candy but they also burned 139 calories over 22 minutes and 6 songs. They burned 23.16 calories per song and 6.32 calories per minute. They earned 15 out of 18 possible stars. Juice Newton bit gave and received Dirty Looks today. She managed to burn 119 calories over 5 songs and 19 minutes. She averaged 23.80 calories burned per song and 6.26 calories burned per minute. Juice only earned 4 out of 15 possible stars. Hemlock was not poisonous today, and in fact, take the RRW crown! Now give those kids some candy!!!

Hemlock: “Shamu Tone”

https://youtu.be/EPyVFiBWbco

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