"Highly addictive once the poison sets... Avenpitch is extraordinary."
-Aiding & Abetting
Whether it’s the Ramones revving Phil Spector’s teen pop to blitzkrieg velocity, the Jesus & Mary Chain smothering Beach Boy melodies in Velvet Underground feedback, or Outkast mashing up hip-hop with the Pixies and Prince, most musical breakthroughs aren’t inventions so much as radical reconfigurations. Case in point: the Minneapolis-based electro-punk quartet Avenpitch. The group’s third LP CAST OFF (Dance School Records) takes everything that was catchy and danceable about New Order, Happy Mondays, and Pop Will Eat Itself; then chops it up, speeds it up and cranks it up into howling, yet tuneful, 3-minute blasts of digital distortion.
Those who haven’t heard Avenpitch before will likely be jolted by the raw energy of their sound, while returning fans will appreciate refined songwriting skills and the musical cyborg interplay evident throughout the album. The opening track “Pregnant Pause” sets the parameters with ringleader Todd Millenacker’s shouted melodies set against relentless beats and layered guitar noise. “Maybe I Was Wrong” employs the same elements to drive home a heartbroken chorus, while “Sweet Summertime” reshapes them into partly-sunny punk-pop. Later tracks cruise through Krautrock and metal territory until the final track, “Shadows of Giants” crashes headlong into a wall of heavily processed garage band noise.
CAST OFF is the band’s third record with the lineup of guitarist Darren Siaw, drummer Paul Hudalla, and keyboardist Sarah France backing singer/multi-instrumentalist/studio mastermind Todd Millenacker. While gas prices and life in general kept Avenpitch on a shorter touring leash in 2008 than in previous years, the quartet has retained their edge and their cult following with a busy Midwestern touring schedule and vigorous online promotion. CAST OFF will see the band continuing to raise their underground profile, with the advance MP3s already receiving support from podcasts and college radio, and a few tracks licensed to indie video games such as Rock Tour Tycoon (Game Mill Entertainment) and Donk: Samurai Duck! (Cryptic Allusion). The band also assures fans in other parts of the country that CAST OFF will be supported by several proper tours throughout 2009.
-written by Emil Hyde
Download (and share) this 10 song sampler by right clicking the link below and hitting "Save Target As...". Enjoy!
Mucho knuckles for the AP crew on last nights merriment! At our current rate, speed and velocity we shall have dominated the world of rock by sometime next week... it's looking like a Tuesday morning, Wednesday night at the very latest.
Dear Avenpitch, Thanks for sharing the bill with us. Minnesota was a blast.. Hopefully next time we can come in a weekend and party together a little more. Keep in touch.
MetroBlast (Music of the Twin Cities) at 7:00 PM Monday nights and Club Underground at 8:30 PM Monday nights play Avenpitch over the world wide web On Twin Cities Radio www.twincitiesradio.net
Listen to archived band interviews here: http://www.clubunderground.us/radio_past.htm
Thank you for the awesome music Thursday Night at A440 Studios on "The Live Sessions". It was a combination of Great Music, personable people, and a nicely successful show. Thank You...all of you.
Looking forward to doing this again.
Peace,
JazzyJ Owner Twin Cities Radio on the Net www.twincitiesradio.net
