Cress

Reviews

Amass / Cress What is the Government Scared Of? split LP

The DIY spirit of Grow Your Own Records must be commended. Loyal to the ethos and principles of the original anarcho-punk wave, the label has steadily put out records from old school anarcho bands, be they old-timers or newer acts. This new split LP is somewhat in between, since AMASS is a new act made up of old-timers and CRESS has become this seemingly indestructible, lovable band since the ’90s. In any case, I always have a lot of time for the label and usually enjoy its releases. AMASS is made up of current members of ALTERNATIVE and the SYSTEM, and ex-members of much noisier bands from Northern England like EMBITTERED or BOXED IN. The band plays fairly traditional fast UK punk with dual male/female vocals. From the four songs included, I love the more aggressive, darker ones more (what a surprise, right?)—reminiscent of AUS-ROTTEN or a metal-free ANTI-SYSTEM or ANTISECT, but the clarity of the vocals gives more of a rather welcome punk rock feel, if you know what I mean (like CIVILISED SOCIETY?, maybe). The main criticism is that the production is clean, too much so for my taste anyway, and a more abrasive sound would have been more fitting for the genre. Great lyrics about consumerism and the class war. On the other side are five songs of the mighty CRESS, also hailing “from up north,” and showing for years that using a drum machine for your punk band could actually sound great and that drummers are a liability. CRESS is one-of-a-kind; the riffs are simple but very catchy and dynamic, they are one of the few bands that can have me dance (and when you know how much of a shit dancer I am, it’s not necessarily for the best). Clever, psychedelic, energetic (and yet hypnotic and dark at times) tribal anarcho-punk somewhere between CRASS and their followers SMARTPILS or CROW PEOPLE, but they have really created their own sound and they are a genuinely unique band so comparisons are really unnecessary. All in all, a good record with a relevant message. Old punks never die, indeed.

Buff / Cress Government Monster / Choose Your War split LP

Apparently CRESS is a functional project again, and they have picked up right where they left off from Monuments and the DOOM split in the late 1990s. Their brand of spaced-out anarcho-punk fills a modern void, and I feel like the songs on their side are simultaneously present and timeless…a sound that is simultaneously familiar and inspirational (or maybe one because of the other). I listened to the CRESS side three times in a row, I confess that I was prepared to be disappointed by the flip and didn’t even want to turn the record over (but I have a job to do)…BUFF blew me away. Epic UK space-crust along the lines of IOWASKA or MUCKSPREADER, blatant HAWKWIND homages driven by electronic manipulations, later SUBHUMANS drawn-out reggae/dub interludes…and they have no problem delivering chaotic crust detonations. Far from a scattershot collection of sounds, Manchester’s BUFF treats their side of the split like a journey, and the listener is invited to join. I feel like I reacquainted with an old friend and I made a new one—absolutely brilliant split release.