10 the Seahawk | LIFESTYLES | October 14, 2004 What does Rolling Stone know? Converge signs with Epitaph: According to ‘Kill Your Idols/ Album is enjoyable anyway absolutely nothing B rad H o lland
A s s is t a n t L if e s t v l e s E d it o r more organized. journalists of generations X The opening track. “First Light,” is i and Y, and gave them a chance In January, Converge shocked the hardcore minute-long instrumental opener that setsi to completely rip apart a clas masses by announcing that they had, in fact, spooky mood before the second track, “Las sic album that they felt was signed with Epitaph records. This may not Light,” kicks in and starts things offprope* ; highly over-rated. Each essay sound like such a bad thing considering that There are m ore Converge-esque songs mfc is not only searing and well Epitaph is the label responsible for numerous record, like “Black Cloud” and the band w written, but in most cases, the groundbreaking releases from bands like Bad ventures o ff into more mellow terrain with ike writers make excellent points. Religion, NOFX, Rancid, Descendents and acoustic guitar of “In Her Shadow.” The collection opens with Refused. Standouts include “Eagles Become DeRogatis’ own assault on However, Epitaph has been gaining a repu Vultures,” easily the heaviest song on tb; [ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s tation as of late for being a scaled down major album, and “You Fail Me,” which is a ile Club Band.” While initially label and turning their back on the punk rock on the long side at six minutes, but definitd\ DeRogatis lashes out, saying roots that made them what they are today. w orth sticking around for. that the album “sucks dog roy In an unreal touch of irony, immediately W hen the dust settles and the CD stops spii- ally,” eventually he lapses into following the signing to Epitaph, the Converge ning, “You Fail Me” may not be Converges an intelligent consideration camp armounced that they were working on a finest moment, but it is undoubtedly a vm of why this beloved Beatles new full-length and it was going to be called good record. In December it will be ot i album should be reconsidered “You Fail Me.” rash o f ‘Best o f 2004’ lists and rightfully so. as a top ten classic. He accuses Many felt that they were setting themselves However, this is one of those releases tliai it of being overly simplistic, of up to be knocked off the proverbial pedestal never really had a chance with some people cashing in on an image while that the hardcore world had placed them on because of the unreasonably high expecta abandoning the defiant notions after releases like 200I’s “Jane Doe” and tions they had placed on it. H of a generation. Anyone who 1997’s “Petitioning the Empty Sky.” Others Similarly, m any will undoubtedly refiiseto has sat down and really exam insisted that Converge still had a few good give this record a chance because of the little ined “Sgt. Pepper’s” might be records left, and “You Fail Me” would live up Epitaph logo in the bottom right-hand coraei inclined to agree. to all the expectations. of the CD case. That little E will keep them Also especially amusing is “You Fail Me” is different from the band’s from hearing one of the best albums of the journalist Fred Mills’ attack of past efforts; it’s less spastic and chaotic and year. Don’t make the same mistake. Neil Young’s “Harvest.” Mills not only accuses Young of cursing the world with “sim pering singer-songwriters “Kill Your ldo
L in n ie S a ra h H elpern is rock journalism at its best: personal, critical
L if e s t y l e s E d it o r and highly insulting. Other albums that are ripped a meta What could be less “rock” then just accept phorical new one include such beloved clas ing that which is handed to you by your elders sics as Bruce Springsteen’s “Bom to Run,” as the gospel truth? According the contribu Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” U2’s “The tors of “Kill Your Idols: A New Generation Joshua Tree,” Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” and of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics,” Radiohead’s “OK Computer.” No matter what nothing. the reader’s personal opinion of any of these “Kill Your Idols” is a collection of essays bands may be, “Kill Your Idols” does what it compiled and edited by Jim DeRogatis, author sets out to do. It incites conversations, it chal of the Lester Band biography “Let It Blurt.” lenges the social statute, and will inevitably DeRogatis explains in the Foreword, “If we piss off a lot of people. want to be high-minded about it, we can call Perhaps the most interesting aspect of it a spirited assault on a pantheon that has “Kill Your Idols” is the writer’s biographies CD art and ph«o courtesy of been foisted upon us, or as defiant rejection of in the back of the book. Every contributor After signing with Epitaph the hegemonic view of rock history espoused lists their top ten favorite albums of all time, records, punk rock band Con by the critics who preceded us. If we want to and almost every list contains an album that verge has released its new al use the vernacular, let’s just say it’s a loud, is tom to shreds by another writer. This just bum 'You Fail Me.' Though the angry, but hopefully amusing — you.” goes to prove, music joumalists don’t know record company may turn off a In order to publicize his call to arms, everything (just don’t tell them that.) large portion of the band's fan DeRogatis brought together the best music base, the CD speaks for itself.