My first real exposure to Daughters would be an argument amongst SPB staff members in a thread on our dainty message board, in which their hype and their similarities to the Locust were put on the table. Not being a big fan of the Locust myself, this didn't give me too high of hopes for the Locust, in terms of me finding them appealing to me.
After about 14 minutes or so, I realized the record was over. I was a bit confused, I wasn't sure if I had gotten trapped in some hole in the space-time continuum, so I checked my watch and all surrounding clocks, but apparently time had passed as it usually does. The least I can say about Daughters is that they don't outstay their welcome, that's not saying much, though.
Instrumentally, the band is extremely tight, technically impressive all around. Noisy math riffs coming from one end, explosive blast beats come from the other. Daughters tear through song structures and time signatures over the quarter of an hour album. Technical ability can only get you so far, though. For the majority of the record, Daughters seem to repeat themselves, as every song is almost indistinguishable from the one previous to it. I don't mind screaming or growling or ribbiting or whatever it is the vocalist of Daughters is supposed to be doing, but no matter what verb you would like to attribute to his vocal style, it's certainly not pleasant. The vocals make the music sound much more amateur, they fail to impress, and actually make the whole record much harder to listen to.
The album ends on a high note, though. The record's peak would be the Beetlejuice inspired "The Ghost with the Most". The song doesn't stray too far away from the sound the band established on every track on the record, but it does make for a much more interesting listen. Starting off with more noise and blast beats, the song finishes with a slowed beat and demented guitar line.
Daughters definitely bring some talent to the table, but I cannot honestly say they live up to half of the hype they get. Sure, they are technically impressive, but they aren't that technically impressive, nor are they really original at all. The record isn't bad, I'd say it has 9 OK songs and 1 good one, but it's not something I'd recommend.
Also, the Locust are better.
Chances are you're not going to like this record. Chances are you've never heard of grindcore and if you did hear it you would say something to the effect of "this is noise." Ignoring probability let's suppose that you, the reader, likes music that is loud. Perhaps you even like music that is filled with blast beats and screaming. And as far fetched as it is, the idea of a band trying something new isn't necessarily "artsy" and for "fraggles". Any comparisons you've heard to The Locust I suggest ignoring. While both bands do play at very fast speeds and the vocals are done very harshly, the music itself is very different. The guitar players found chords that sound very eerie and slightly off. They aren't quite melodic, but they aren't random sounding. They will hold these and start playing them up and down the neck at weird speeds creating a sound that at times sounds like a deflating balloon or a soundtrack to an exponential graph. Sometimes they will begin playing at hyper speeds in a very technical manner, while other times it almost sounds like a breakdown engorged in horse tranquilizers that last no longer than seven seconds.
Although the vocals are so strained you can't really hear what is being said, upon reading the lyrics in the booklet, it was found that they were very dissapointing. While his words aren't horrible, at times they read like something that was picked out of Johnny Whitney's shit.
"Do you recall when we were young?" - The Blood Brothers
"Remember when we were young?" - Daughters
"Sugar, I'd come over but your coffee tastes like the clap." - The Blood Brothers
"Well I caught you honey, like the clap sugar." - Daughters
African American, please. Also some of the themes in the lyrics are similar too, such as the Daughters' "Jones From Indiana", which describes a service making women "far superior" than the "common women". In the album March On Electric Children, this is touched on with a woman who gets changed by "Mr. Octopus" to become beautiful. These were noticed after one read through of the Daughters lyrics, so it's not like I was scavenging to find something. Keeping with the grindcore cliché, they do have some pretty clever song titles, although "I Slept With the Daughters and All I Got Was This Lousy Song Written About Me" and "Pants Meet Shit" are the best.
The first five seconds of this album create one of the best introductions to an album, one of the best of 2003 thus yet. Consistently throughout the whole album you are hit with a fierce eruption of electric insanity and rapid fire pregnancy. I just lied though, because the last track has a two minute breakdown, which ironically is the weirdest part of the album.
For those of you who are big As The Sun Sets fans and are expecting the next 7744, you will probably be disappointed. I'm not necessarily saying one of these bands are better, but don't be expecting ATSS. The breakdowns aren't as mosh accessible and gone are the ambient instrumental parts.
This album is also really good for pissing people off, especially when played at high volumes.
