A Joker's Rage

Hey! Hey hey hey! At a New Year's party the other night, friends from Writer's Club were playing music. I heard some cool wah pedal work, bass chords (intervals), cool riffs, and stuff. I was playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl at the same time, and it was an attention-demanding round (playing against the only person I know that has a good chance of defeating my little brother). My attention was shattered, and my playing went out the window.

"Hey! Who is this band? What's this song?!" I asked, but then turned back to Super Smash. After a few seconds, I asked the question again, because I was too tired for multi-tasking.

Skipping more boring narrative: I got the name of the band texted to me. A Joker's Rage.

Right. I'll try putting them in a genre now. Or rather, putting genres into them.

I heard their stuff in the order it appeared on their album on their site, with the first song being "Disc-Over". The first thing you'll hear is a wah pedal riff, with that modulated reverb that The Edge made his signature. It sounds more distorted, more... impelling, just bordering aggressive (but it does cross that line completely later), than that post-punk sound U2 made. I suppose it's best to say that, like Coldplay, it echoes the anthems and exotic soundscape U2 created.

The singer holds a single note then, with the same distant reverb, and the percussion comes in as well, just quarter note hi-hat steps (Damn. Can't remember the proper name for them.) that drive forward, still in that same post-punk feeling. However, the bass line changes a bit (Enter the bass chords I do so like. :P), and an alt metal undertone creeps in. Then the guitar riff changes entirely for a phrase. It's not an undertone any more. It's a fairly heavy, alt metal riff. Or quite a heavy alt rock riff. The phrase could've been from a more technically inclined grunge rock band, if it weren't for the drums keeping it more modern.

The song alternates between the heavier, alt metal tone, and the more distant, post-punk tone, until the bridge, which briefly nods its head in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' direction. (Incidentally, they're labelled as funk, or mention having funk influences. I think it's more fair to say that they're influenced by alt rock that's been influenced by funk. The funk in their songs just seems far too diluted.)

Gah. Enough crap 'analysis' of their first song. Their album as a whole experiments with these genres, and one or two more, using alternating bits of post-punk and alt-metal as homes to fall back upon. The lyrics are... interesting. If I'm not mistaken, Disc-over is about the decision to be a musician - a travelling bard - and the resolve needed for that. (Hey, I can relate [and maybe that's predisposing me to interpret the lyrics as such], having existential crises for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.) They also do some cool, sarcastic numbers, like neighbourhood watch. Anyway, it seems one recurring theme is running away, or rather, forcing oneself to not run away from the things they've wrought, or should be following. But... Again, maybe I'm just wanting to see such themes.

The only thing I didn't like about the album was the last seven seconds. "Do you wanna do any more on this song?" "Naw, bollocks, we're done." 
They put together an album that can have a bit more self-respect than that.

I think that's all I can say about them for now. Go check them out!
...That and I want to get a Wii, so I can get better at Super Smash Bros. 
Actually, I'd rather get better at something more useful. I'm such an undedicated, crap gamer. :P