By MaryAnn Bayer
Black Helicopter are curmudgeons. Indie Rock needs more stubborn people with unwavering ideas. Perhaps then I would listen to more indie rock. As it stands the genre seems filled with wimpy boys and waify chicks doing Fleetwood Mac covers who would be just as happy if they were say, modeling. I’ll pass and reminisce about the 90’s…
Black Helicopter remind me it’s okay for me to not identify with those hip boys and girls and their boat shoes. Black Helicopter are the type of Indie Rock that older brothers everywhere need to pass on to their younger, misguided, siblings so they don’t travel down the road of family friendly alternative rock like Train or worse yet Fall out Boy. I picked up ‘Don’t Fuck with the Apocalypse’, their third album and was struck by the album art, I totally recognized the style from Black Flag’s album covers. So, I had to know more. I got the LONG story from bass player/master of the inappropriate, Zack Lazar. After some impassioned letters from punk heroes Mike Watt and Thurston Moore on the band‘s behalf, the legendary artist Raymond Pettibon granted the band permission to use one of his works for the record, which should be endorsement enough for anyone who fancies themselves a music fan. Unfortunately, shortly after choosing the art, which depicts a snake handed, angry Jesus, the lames at Universal/Fontana asked the band to change or alter the artwork, album title and the song title of ‘King Shit‘. Here’s where we get back to why Black Helicopter are curmudgeons. Rather than choose a less ‘offensive’ piece or change the song title, they passed on distro/mfg from a biggie label. Ecstatic Peace! agreed to put out the record and here we have it, lawyers be damned! I mean, After 10+ years, what’s the point of making ANY art if you can’t express yourself in the way you intend?
Musically, Black Helicopter remind me of bad times, and I say that in the most flattering way. Songs like ’Copout’, ’King Shit’, and ’In the Blood’ make me think events you can’t do over, like those tense moments before you break it off with someone ‘for good’, or seeing someone you know hasn’t forgiven you, or moving outta town and never coming back. It’s sad and heavy but those are the moments you pull from most.
Don’t Fuck With the Apocalypse is a rock record, made by men, not boys. No skinny jeans, no girl on tambourine, just four guys who do this because they love it and it’s still fun. There’s a little bit of psych, lots of heavy, Shellac-ian bass/drum pummeling, with a few surprising shimmers of pop here and there like on ’Golden Days’ and ‘Record Player’. Tim Shea’s vocals evoke J. Mascis and (I know I’ll catch flack for this) a little Jonathan Richman and make me miss living in Boston for some reason.
Black Helicopter are the band that the aloof dude who works at your local record store has been into for years, it’s about time you caught on.
The Band is Black Helicopter. The Album is “Don’t Fuck with the Apocalypse” on Ecstatic Peace records. Get it on CD, iTunes, and more importantly, available on colored vinyl for the geeks!
“Army Pup Tent” vid
