Bothers "II" LP

Damn it. Finding it pretty much impossible to describe this second Bothers LP. I mean, I love it—it’s way expansive and moody as shit and mean, and sounds like someone’s lovingly shoved my head in a cement mixer—but god, is it tough to put into words. We’re talking, what? Maybe Tragedy meets Fucked Up? Rocket From The Crypt and Bombenalarm duking it out over foosball? I don’t know. What I do know is that songs like “Washed Out”—lurching, crazed, layered—sound like a linear, obvious continuation of their first record, while album closers “Cold” and “Darker Eyes” find this band tilling even more somber ground, almost darkwave stuff. There’s a lot of nuance here, a lot of details, even in the cement mixer. Music made by great folks, clearly lifers, and Bothers remain one of the absolute loudest and best live bands I’ve ever seen. This one will take you somewhere. –Keith Rosson (Razorcake)