For as closely tied as they were early on, it's strange how far apart indie rock and hardcore punk have grown. Early indie and art-rockers took plenty from hardcore in the late 1980s and early 90s, especially bands on labels like Touch and Go and Dischord. Coliseum's third album, House With a Curse, nods to that not-so-distant past. Since its last LP, 2007's No Salvation, the band has recruited a new drummer and found a new label, moving from metal-mongers Relapse to the post-rocking Temporary Residence. They use every opportunity on House With a Curse to give tribute to the turn-of-the-90s bands that helped to shape their sound, often by inviting the members of those bands to perform on the album.
J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines) mixed the album and even adds backing vocals on "Blind in One Eye"-- and a hell of a track it is, surging in ways you rarely hear in indie while still toying with quiet-loud dynamics and unpredictable rhythms. The guitars throughout the album crackle with distortion, yet the melodies are always straightforward and clear, and Patterson's lyrics are discernible no matter how he sputters and yowls. He does go for nuance in his singing on "Cloaked in Red" and "Perimeter Man", but subtlety isn't what's remarkable about his voice. Instead, it's his guttural, gravel-gargling roar that would make John Brannon (Negative Approach, Laughing Hyenas) proud. The power of his voice makes a pretty decent nod to some underappreciated bands into something more forceful and emotionally resonant. Some more instrumental variety would have been nice, though-- after the high of the first few tracks wears off and the formula grows more apparent, change-ups like the long, tense intro on "Man Was Never Meant to Fly" turn out to be the bright spots of the album's second side.
Trying to bridge the gap between modern and more aggressive early indie doesn't always work. The more earnest nods to indie and art rock, for example, seem like window dressing compared to the force of songs like "Blind in One Eye" and "Crime and the City". While Will Oldham is a man beholden to no genre or label, his contribution to the bridge of "Skeleton Smile" struggles to be heard over the jagged guitar leads and double-time rhythm of the bass and drums, and spotting guests like Jason Noble (Rodan, Shipping News) or Peter Searcy (Squirrel Bait) is a Where's-Waldo hunt without the aid of the liner notes. House With a Curse seems like a conspicuous move from metal to indie, but whether Coliseum reach new fans or not, indie rock at large benefits from the band's injection of energy.
