Trenchmouth always seemed to escape me when they were actually around, playing shows and putting out records. They always fell into the category of “interesting sounding band, reviews are always wonderful, I should check them out.” Sadly, I never did get around to checking them out. Nevertheless, the folks at Thick Records have put together a lovely little compilation of Trenchmouth goodness, for those of out there unable to hear every single interesting band.
I guess it could be said that Trenchmouth was a more mature, controlled, and arty version of Bad Brains, i.e. reggae-flavored punk rock. Where Bad Brains’ music was based more in aggression and anger, Trenchmouth had a much more refined and controlled delivery than did Bad Brains, showing simply a sign of the times. Trenchmouth’s meat of production came during the early ’90s, a time when all things DC ruled the angular math punk scene. I guess it’s a cop out to say these guys sounded like a mature Bad Brains because of their reggae influence (and that they have a black lead singer); it would be more accurate to say that Trenchmouth sounded like Fugazi crossed with Gang of Four, with a splash of Husker Du.
This collection starts off with the angular rocker, “Making Money for the Freak Machines”; this song typifies, for the most part, what Trenchmouth was all about. The drums are very complex, yet are played with an almost tribal flair. The guitars are scratchy and weird, very similar to the likes of early Gang of Four guitars. The bass guitar sounds similar to the bass sound of mid-’90s DC standouts Hoover; it’s warm, not distorted or grainy, but works perfectly with what these guys are doing. The vocals are articulated in an almost Glenn Danzig manner; croonish, wavering influxes of a deep tone.
My favorite track would have to be the absolutely manic “The Volcanic Action of My Soul”. The chorus is a furious spasm of tribal drums, guitars, bass, and vocal chants that totally rocked me out of my pants, sending me sprawling for cover! The verse is a funky little groove that sounds similar to early Suicidal Tendencies. There’s a curious little break down, during which bongos can be clearly heard; it gives way to the ridiculous succession of punches and kicks that is the chorus. Hot track!
“The Dawning of a New Sound Session” sounds like Jawbox with Ian Sevonious singing. There’s this weird drumbeat that sounds like the crazy beats on Jawbox’s self-titled album (it sways, yet rocks full force). The guitars play weird, dissonant notes, while the bass plays a strange jazz-like line, in different syncopation from the guitars. Calculators will be required for proper enjoyment of this one.
Trenchmouth lets their Gang of Four influences fly like a flag on “Hitmen Will Suffocate the City.” Imagine if Go4 had broken up after releasing Solid Gold, only to reform in the late ’90s; they probably sound like this song. “Power to the Amplifier” is a sped up session of spastic drums and frantic guitars, all the while the lead singer sounds as if he’s going into convulsions. Awesome! “Sea of Serenity” is probably my second favorite song, as it finds the band really experimenting with guitar torture, in much more creative manners than the guy in Rage Against the Machine (who fancies himself as a guitar experimentalist extraordinaire). The drums are particularly bizarre and ferocious on this track, and the verse is a simple little steamroller of romp through all things violent and grating.
“Doing the Flammability” features Trenchmouth playing with guitar chords that sound as if a cat is meowing, giving way to an almost 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll verse, featuring the instrumentation of mid ’90s art/ math core bands. As I try to do justice to these songs with my feeble words, it becomes clearer and clearer that it’s almost impossible to do so. To put it simply, Trenchmouth was one of the most unique and individual bands to exist in the 1990s. To quantify what these guys sounded like is almost impossible, without having you actually listen to this CD. It sucks that I missed these guys when they existed, as any band this frantic and maniacal in the studio is probably even more so on a stage. This CD is a keeper, all the way, the kind of thing to keep you company on a long drive on which freaking out would be a must.