sinaloa

wolves split

split 7” with wolves - 2004
released by clean plate records

songs:
new teen craze
strike aloud

recorded in the fall of 2003 at dead air studios by will killingsworth

mastered at west westside by alan douches

layout by equivalents

reviews

unrequestedalbumreviews
This record (on Cleanplate Records) was finally finished and distributed to the music loving public on August 21, 2004. Wolves played their last show (having spent their last time recording in the studio even earlier) back in January. So what else is new?

The 7” features “16”, the last recorded Wolves track left to be released, and two tracks from Sinaloa, titled “New Teen Craze” and “Strike Aloud”. “New Teen Craze” is a thumping song with a driving beat and minimal melody. As can be guessed from the title, the lyrics deal with the artificial creation of “necessity” in the minds of young people through clever marketing tactics and fashion trends. The song’s repetitive nature musically goes well with the “static function” discussed in the lyrics. The words break into more interesting territory at the end of the song with “refuse my sight, refuse my mind.” Sinaloa discussed the theme of the gap between mental images and perceived reality previously in “Ancestry Is Relative” on the Fathers and Sons LP. However, then they chose to use the disconnect to their advantage rather than highlight the pitfalls surrounding. Hopefully, more songs will take up this theme in the future.

“Strike Aloud” is the longer, more emotional of Sinaloa’s offerings. The subject matter this time is the helplessness felt by a mother and son trapped in an abusive family relationship with the husband/father figure. The dynamic structure of the song complements the song’s narrative progression, or rather regression, wonderfully. After beginning the song with a typical Sinaloa frenzy, musing upon the life-lasting effects abuse will have upon the boy, the band settles into a quiet wash of simple but driving chords which seem to swell towards and recede from a climax which they never reach. Meanwhile, the lyrics dwell upon the temporary relief which night time affords the family as they each lie in their beds. Such a complex emotional state does not bear any sense of accomplishment and contains too large a degree of uncertainty to be felt as a climax. Sinaloa render this scene well.

The Wolves’ side of this record makes me even more sad that they broke up. At close to five minutes in length, the song is more epic than the set of songs on Wolves’ split release with Transistor Transistor. The vocals comprise a smaller portion of the song than on most Wolves songs. However, the musically the four instruments more independent and inventive as well. For the second half of the song, the guitars give up their jittery rhythms for soaring lyricism, while bass sounds particularly bouncy. The song’s climax sounds almost more blissful than urgent as the singer cries, “We’ve got to change this changes this weather” with the guitars creating a rich, high pitched texture.

Overall, I enjoyed this record and I want to listen to it more. I don’t think any of the songs are my favorite by either band but they are all strong and go well together to form a powerful 7”.