8 - Void/Faith "Split"

 

As a man of faith, I have to give these guys a round of applause for their band name.


Void

(Note: I started this Void part like 3 times in the last 2 weeks so this is a mix of my notes from all three sessions. Finally finished!)

That droney chord? Fuck yes. Also, I think that Void’s bass player walked so RHCP could crawl. Is that even the bass (see: “Time to Die”)? I can’t tell.


Ok, there’s no doubt: I love the Void side of this split. You can really see hardcore starting to get bored of itself and changing up the formula to things that eventually became part of “emo.” This primarily includes weird time changes and dynamics in the music. The song “Think” starts off so wacky and off-kilter, which is very much my thing. To be fair, the middle of their side was kinda rough and sloppy for a few songs but it ended really strong. Definitely one of my favorite early Dischord releases. It blew my mind the whole time I listened. 


I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHY YOU’RE HERE BUT I’M ENJOYING YOUR OUTPUT. THANKS GUY.


Faith

OK, so this is good. Initially, I thought, “this is OK, but the Void side was so nuts! How do I go to something less weird afterward?” Then all of a sudden, KABLAMO! I love it when a band surprises me. Faith is more melodic than the traditional hardcore that was literally being invented at this time. It’s like post-hardcore without first-wave hardcore even being done yet. 


Upon this listen, I got shook: Am I hearing emo CHORDS?? Like those pretty minor chords I force into all of the punk music I’ve played for the last 20 years?


Unrelated, I saw the drummer (I think) of Baby Got Back Talk wearing a Faith shirt recently. Or was it Void? Pretty sure it was Faith. Anyway, it was one of the bands from this split.


K back to this. The three-song run of “What’s Wrong with Me” through “What You Think to Confusion” is super good. The band’s songwriting prowess is coming out, and I’m a fan. Thank you Faith for putting good songwriting into a genre that very easily could have died in a sonic sewer. Also, did Faith invent the kind of intro you hear on “You’re X’d?” Like, the guitar ringing out and the fast hardcore bass riff coming in to start the song? Who knows but it’s sick. Also, Pick slides forever.


Final notes: “Don’t Telle Me” is just “I Don’t Wanna Hear It” by Minor Threat, but I’m here for it.


Listen to Dischord no. 8 here.



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