the kodan armada

hello internet it's been a while. i've had some remotivation which has resulted in me wanting to write some more. nice while it lasts i guess, so i'd better not waste any time!

in the brief period since we spoke last, i've decided to get a bit more in touch with some shouty hardcore. and who better to lead off the renaissance with the kodan armada, a group of nice young men from kentucky who like loud-soft dynamics and shouting so hard you know that they have tears in their eyes.

during their five year tenure running around playing shows all over the place, a mishmash of tracks that could best be described as their discography was released under the guise of "a collection of songs". and amazingly, it allows the listener to have a little shot of experiencing one of these shows in their very own bedroom, thanks to the little soundbites of honest banter that sandwich every couple of tracks.

i'm not exactly sure which member of the band is speaking during these, but he certainly loves making a statement. opening the album with "this song is about my dad raping my sister. that's a pretty messed up situation. doesn't mean we shouldn't have a party, have a good time."

and to be fair to him, it's only horrible things like that which could have possibly inspired such powerful songs. "no has never had three letters" starts off gently enough with a forewarning clean guitar but soon breaks down into an extremely haunting spoken word verse enveloped by a threatening crash cymbal. then, cue the distortion and cue the cathargy. the armada's two-way exchange of fragile screams introduce you to pure, unadulterated heartache.

that's not all. after laying down the foundations of their particularly hand-wringing blend of screamo, we're ushered into the almost disco-like beats of bullshit buffet, the layered cacophony of the technology condemning iwishididnthatemyselfdotcom (with quite possibly the catchiest yet shortest breakdown ever). and continuing the controversial nature of their material, cops throws out the worryingly curious lyric "it's not you i hate, it's your fucking race" (referring to the human race and police brutality). the album is tied up with the interesting butterfly effect which boasts a short cover version of prog-rock heroes kansas' "carry on my wayward son" after their original offering. really took me by surprise, i don't think i've ever heard a more unlikely mashup.

but all in all, a fantastic collection. and interestingly, lyrics to most songs seem to be written and sung communally, with each member writing down his thoughts about an issue and then shouting about it. i can't really think of a bad thing to say.

there's band news too though guys. in the style of the best emo bands, they've released this collection of fantastic, cathargic material and then gone and broken up. sigh.

but don't fret. instead, have a listen and let them kick your heart around a bit.

"i think that I've wasted most of my life waiting for it to start. please do not do this"
mps of note: bullshit buffet, iwishididnthatemyselfdotcom, cops
The Kodan Armada - A Collection Of Songs