Jucifer - War Bird

(2004, Velocette Records)
If I had any intention of making this blog thing the least bit relevant to the times, I'd be reviewing If Thine Enemy Hunger, which is the full-length album these guys put out that got a bunch of good reviews and everything last year. But you see, if I'm going to buy a CD by someone not established as someone where I already know for sure what I'm getting into, it has to either be used, an EP, or some other conditions must exist to make it cost five bucks or less. So here's an EP from 2004 that I got used for $4.99.
But anyway, the crazy thing about this band is that it's barely even a band. It's just two people, one chick singing and playing a guitar, and a dude playing drums. That's it. I think there's an overdubbed bassline in a song, but otherwise, just two folks. That's crazy. But anyway, for a one sentence description of this EP, this is basically the kind of stuff people used to listen to while doing heroin in the early-to-mid nineties. Like Jucifer could have gone on tour with Helmet back when Helmet was still worth a crap, Nirvana back before Nirvana was selling out arenas and blowing their own heads off, or maybe the Melvins back before the Melvins did whatever it was that they do these days. Hella-distorted, fuzzy guitars drone along while G. Amber Valentine sings in this really soft, sweet voice and Ed Livengood hammers the shit out of the drums, occasionally resulting in something that's way heavier than any band that's just two people with one of them singing really softly has any right to be.
The two biggest highlights here are probably "Ides of Light," the nearly six-minute EP-opener that's a slow, churning, number where the contrast of soft, ballady vocals over a guitar that sounds de-tuned to the point where the strings hung loose creates an almost menacing sound and "Haute Couture," which is mostly sung in French, and is probably the most upbeat, normal people-friendly song on here. Finishing things off is the giant change-of-pace in the form of "My Stars," that's a banjo-based old-school protest song about growing up in 'Merica and is way better-written than the average "OMG CORPORATIONS WTF" songs that most hack bands who actually make a living off songs like that tend to write.
On a goofy side note, while this is a six-song EP, it still manages to clock in at over an hour. The reason? The last track on the album is like 45 minutes of what sounds like someone just leaving a microphone out in a heavily insect-infested back yard for a while. What the hell.
Overall, this is good, bordering on brilliant at times, but it's probably not for everybody. If you like your heavy-type music to be of the fast, aggressive variety, you might want to think twice about this one. On the other hand, if you're into slow, grindy stuff that sounds like some huge thing rolling up real slow-like to crush you and your house, look no further. Or if you like banjo protest songs and long tracks of bug noises. Or maybe if you're from the early 90s, and the smack hasn't killed you yet. Whatever floats your boat, kid.

Track Listing:
1. Ides of Light
2. Day Breaks on the Field of Battle
3. Seth
4. Haute Couture
5. The Shape of Texas
6. My Stars
7. (untitled, unlisted track)