Cartoons/Sailboats are White split cassette
Hamilton’s Perdu continues to cut out its own dark niche in the Southern Ontario swamp-rock scene with another split cassette of druggy sludge.
Toronto’s favorite grunge-punks Cartoons push their sound down, slowing the tempo to stoned mosh, closer to Nirvana’s Incesticide, making for a more strange, violent atmosphere. “Cheetos, you bring me down,” drones Denholm Whale on the now classic bummer anthem “Cheetos,” stretching out monotonous, pounding rhythm over jaded guitar, replicating the gut rotting effects of the daily eating of orange cornstarch from bags. These four short songs could be an alternate sound track to Richard Linklater’s Slacker, if the whole movie was ten minutes long and took place in a basement.
Can I say how happy it makes me to see Sailboats are White back in action? These natives of “The Hammer” were one of the most notable, interesting and original bands of the ‘00s, making odd, drum machine driven punk (that garnered many a Big Black comparison) with crazed live shows that had some truly inspired moments aggressive expression, while many other bands at the time were looking for glockenspiel players and doing their worst impressions of Broken Social Scene. These new songs are a great continuation from where they left off, tighter and tougher while still sounding like the weird kid from art class throwing a temper tantrum. Also, bold move covering Burning Spear’s Call on You. Kudos.
