Vinyl Review: "Avantist" by Avantist

Avantist

Can I give you some real talk right now?

Every so often there's some big talk about our global reach and offices in other nations, but you know that's not real right? Glacially Musical is a one man operation and I work my butt off in order to bring new music to the people. (GOOD new music.)

So right now, this post, along with two other vinyl reviews, is late. My turntable is up in my sitting room. For those of you who watch the unboxing videos, you'll see that I listen to these records in our second living room.

Well, presently, we are doing more than painting, but less than remodeling it so, it's not fit to sit in. Again, I cannot sit in my sitting room. As of this writing, I'm drinking a beer and working on this post with  my computer on a lapdesk whilst I lay down in my bed.

So big apologies to Avantist and No Trend Records. You should have already read this post, but my real life got in the way....

Avantist

Sit right back and let me tell you a tale.

There was a time when I really didn't consider anything with the word post in it. Post Rock, Post Punk, Post Metal, etc. Just reading the word post put me off the music. It seemed like anyone who'd put that moniker to their music seemed horribly pretentious.

It never occurred that these bands had strong influences from those genres, but didn't properly fit into them.

Based on this idea, wouldn't it be fair to call The Yardbirds Post Blues?

We don't have to fuss and fight, but the real difference here is that British Blues has a name, but bands like Baroness, YLVA, et al...they don't have a name for what they do.

These new Post Toasties though, they make music new and fresh again. There's never been a single Poster Child that I've heard and thought, meh, I've heard this all before....

Unlike a certain popular band of young men...

So...what is Avantist?

Simply put, they are a band from Chicago that I really don't quite understand yet.

The self titled record is...well, it's certainly high energy.

My favorite thing about this album is that it's impossible to say oh it's the drums from this band, the vocals from these guys, and the guitar solos of Carcass.

This is a band who truly sounds like no other to me. Even after the third listen...I cannot find their influences.

They're heavy without being too much. They're poppy without being syrupy. They're angry without turning anyone off.

Now, this saxophone bit, that's a bit confusing, but don't worry, it'll lead you somewhere crazy.

It's silly to think of recorded music as performance art, but isn't it though?

That's where Avantist shines. It's hard to think of this band without picturing some pretty post-modern concert performances. Now, we're not saying they're going to be dressed up as giant mice eating human beings on the spit, but let's not rule anything out.

At its base, this is a guitar band with that screaming my parents in the 80's said all rock music was.

At its heart, well, that's the question isn't it?

Honestly, it's nearly impossible to tell you what precisely Avantist is doing, but what's good to know is that they are doing this. There's a dearth of me too bands in the world. Avantist is not one of them.

The world is wide, the sky is blue and thankfully there's plenty of room for Avantist and their strange brand of whatever kind of music this is.

My daughter wants you to know that they are impossible to copy. She may very well be right.

The record is a sturdily pressed slab of vinyl. Check it out below.

Release: Out Now. Order FACEBOOK