I've never understood the concept of two-piece rock bands. Okay, smartasses, I get it; it's two people in a band. However I never grasped the concept of why these two people choose to call themselves a band when obviously the musical term to describe their joint venture would be duo. When a person thinks of a band a picture at least three people with someone playing a guitar, another on the drums, and someone playing bass comes to mind. Sure there's always been expectations to this rule; Sleater Kinney for a example. Nevertheless even those lesbians had at least three chicks rocking out, they just couldn't figure out which one would play bass.
The other thing that irks me about two-piece "bands" is why can't these people find yet another member to fill out their ranks whether it be a bass, guitar player, or a drummer. Are these two people complete jerks that have can only play with each other because they are some sort of cosmic asshole level that only they can understand their musical mission. No one else can tolerate these blowhards to the point where they can't stomach one practice before packing their stuff and exiting stage left. So the two musical geniuses decide to continue on sans the missing component because dag nabbit; no one will ever understand what they are trying to say with their sound, man.
Liquid Limbs, if you haven't guessed already is a two-piece outfit from Gainesville, Florida. Kevin Nowak handles the guitar and yelps out some lyrics once in awhile. Chase Permann is the man behind the drum set. Musicially Liquid Limbs sounds like Jawbox with no bass or Fugazi with no rhythm. Or even Unwound with their bursts of odd-tuned noises and squeals. The songs themselves run a gambit from loud and droning to almost upbeat and poppy. There is DC sound wiggling its way into the eleven track on Orquid.
I don't necessarily hate Liquid Limbs, I just really don't see any reason why they should exist. I sit here listening to their inventive noise-drenched pop post-hardcore music and only think they would be served better if they had a bass player. Hell, Nowak makes his guitar sound like a bass more than a guitar most of the time anyhow to achieve another level of heavy. All the songs on Oquid are interesting enough with their herky jerky angular efforts with stop and start breaks and tempo shifts. Liquid Limbs probably thinks their songs don't need a bass player and are fine as a duo. And that maybe well and good for them, I just can't listen to Orquid without thinking that I'm missing something.
