Kalamazoo, Michigan is home to Bronson Arm (Blake Bickel – Guitar/Vocals, Garrett Yates – Drums) who are back with a new release a mere year after last year’s self-titled debut. The oddly titled Casket Schwagg (Learning Curve Records) is described as a politically charged album by Bickel despite the band not being politically charged themselves, whether this proves potentially off-putting to some remains to be seen. 

“Permitted To Be Omitted” recalls bands such as Tar, one of the nineties’ most underrated, underappreciated, and overlooked bands. This is apparent from the thick, heavy guitar textures and vocals reminiscent of that band’s frontman John Mohr. A fantastic start. The band ups the tempo on “Casket Schwagg” with a sound not far removed from the murky Grunge of pre-fame Nirvana, this is a track that wouldn’t be out of place on Bleach. 

There’s also a Stoner Rock sensibility present – think Fu Manchu at their fuzzed out best; sublime songwriting. “Wrong Energy” shares similarities to the Melvins, especially on classic records such as “Ozma” while Post-Hardcore/Sludge-Metal heroes Karp come to mind on “To Live Deliciously.” As with the latter Tumwater trio, the track has an ultra-cynical bite running throughout but with more of a political bent that can be described as heavy but not necessarily in a Metal way, in other words, don’t go expecting Slayer anytime soon. So those devil horns should be put to one side for now. 

“Supine Twist” as the name implies, has something of a danceable groove to it, so that if bands such as Girls Against Boys mixed with a funkier Tad tick your boxes then you’ll be all over this hook-laden, earwormy classic. One of the album’s absolute standouts and a welcome change in both tone and style. “Flaming Pram” once again evokes the Melvins, this time it’s the turn of albums such as Bullhead and tracks such as “Boris.” There’s even a vibe of bands such as Karma To Burn which gives off a jam band feel (in the best possible sense, not Phish fortunately), throw in a little Punk Rock attitude reminiscent of SST Records’ mid-to-late-eighties output and you have all the ingredients of something truly special, which this certainly is. The shortest track on the album, “Drain The Coffer,” is akin to a punchier, to-the-point Sonic Youth with a little of the New York legends art-damaged noise still intact. By contrast, “Vestigial Tail” takes one down an intensely engaging Fugazi path so convincingly that if one were to perform a blind listen, you’d swear it was an outtake from A Steady Diet Of Nothing. 

Finally, “Obscenity In The Milk” the longest track on the album at nearly six and a half minutes, will be of interest to fans of Sacramento’s Far, what with its Emo and Alternative Metal flavourings, with a few Proggy leanings injected along the way. A suitably emotive and epic conclusion. 

What’s great about Casket Schwagg are the subtle musical variations that appear like giant easter eggs, demonstrative of the fact that Bronson Arm are more than just your average run of the mill Noise Rock band. A solid follow-up that is more than worthy of your attention. 

Buy the album here:
https://bronsonarm.bandcamp.com/album/casket-schwagg

8 / 10
REZA MILLS
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