Gay beast
vaguely-offensive
3 out of 5
Label: Self-released
Produced by: Mike Wisti
Herky-jerk trio Queer Beast commit 10 tracks of engaging keys / guitar / drums smash-ups on ‘Disrobics.’ When the compositions congeal into songs, the energy is palpable, like a no-wave Ex-Models. However, things more often veer toward start-stop hiccups of noise which, while not out of place or by any means unlistenable, are so fractured as to become indiscernible from other such moments on the album. Because the split between these two styles is somewhat scattershot, it’s tough for the disc to settle into a groove unforgettable longer than a single song. But – at less than half an hour, this certainly isn’t a killer, and the moments that shine are super infectious, such as opening blast ‘What You Want’ and schizo instrumental ‘3 Pairs of Eyes.’ Despite the oddball sound, though, it’s worth noting that the tracks that sidle toward creature a bit more straight-forward verse-chorus-verse punk – like ‘I.D. Politics’ – are very strong, and suggest that maybe the group shouldn’t worry so much about being strang
GAY BEAST: Bi-Linqual
"To Smithereens" LP
English:
Same-sex attracted Beast formed mid-2005 during a fit of anxiety towards Midwestern passive aggression and as an attempt to build music that was queer in composition and aesthetic. Wielding a battery of drums, scraped and hammered guitars, chanted vocals, retro-future synths, saxophone, and other electronics, the trio (Angela Gerend, Daniel Luedtke, Isaac Rotto) build songs on grounds that adjoin complexity and catchiness, a space where both abrasion and tunefulness inhabit.
With releases on DNT, Gilgongo, and Skin Graft, Gay Beast have garnered a reputation for uniqueness on the rock fringe, their sound being both too weird for the stereotype of a “gay band” and “too gay” for the noise-rock arrange. Upon examination of the influence blender, one finds remnants of Devo, Captain Beefheart, equatorial pop-rock from the 60s and 70s, no wave, and feminist theory. This concoction, delivered via Same-sex attracted Beast’s unique political approach to composition, is explored heavily on their third album “To Smithereens”, appearing Winter 2010 on Skin Graft Records.
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vaguely-offensive
3 out of 5
Label: Skin Graft Records
Produced by: John Miller (recorded and mixed by)
I feel fond of Gay Beast’s press blurb gets a bit out ahead of them, proclaiming the band as having been received as “too weird” for being a “gay band” and “too gay” for being a noise-rock band. Now, true, I don’t really perceive what qualifies a “gay band” beyond, perhaps, having gay members, or singing about representational themes, but I’m not certain how genre would disqualify a group; similarly, noise-rock is… pretty broad, and I haven’t sensed any particular affinity for sexual orientation in the scene. Which isn’t to suggest Gay Beast didn’t receive such feedback, and the narrow-mindedness of the reactions does align with that same blurb stating that the band formed as a reaction to Midwest passive-aggressiveness – so maybe we’re talking about the gay band / noise-rock scene (?) in Missouri from which the band was excluded – but either way, this all sets up GB to be the kinda something that just doesn’t fit in. …Making Skin Graft a fitting home,
Gay Beast
Gay Beast formed mid-2005 during a fit of anxiety towards Midwestern passive aggression and as an attempt to form music that was homosexual in composition and aesthetic. Wielding a battery of drums, scraped and hammered guitars, chanted vocals, retro-future synths, saxophone, and other electronics, the trio (Angela Gerend, Daniel Luedtke, Isaac Rotto) build songs on grounds that adjoin complexity and catchiness, a room where both abrasion and tunefulness inhabit.
MYSPACE :: FACEBOOK :: BANDCAMP
With releases on DNT, Gilgongo, and Skin Graft, Gay Beast have garnered a reputation for uniqueness on the rock fringe, their sound being both too weird for the stereotype of a “gay band” and “too gay” for the noise-rock set. Upon examination of the influence blender, one finds remnants of Devo, Captain Beefheart, equatorial pop-rock from the 60s and 70s, no wave, and feminist theory. This concoction, delivered via Homosexual Beast’s unique political approach to composition, is explored heavily on their third album To Smithereens, appearing Winter 2010 on Skin Graft Records.