BEEF "Deities" c20 (self released)


Who are Beef? A band who gave me their tape after I shared a living room floor with them while we were both playing an out of town show. Other than that, I'm not really sure. They are a five piece from New York who manages to stir up quite a shitstorm on their first cassette, entitled Deities. At the onset, we seem to be at the intersection of No Wave and more technically proficient art rock, which appears to be a more and more common format for young groups in Brooklyn. Thankfully these guys veer a closer to a big messy NO than anything you might have learned in algebra class. The most exciting part for me is the tortured female shrieking from Beef's Korean born vocalist Greem. They are the most present at the start of "Spheres of Bloodlust" on the A side. That track's instrumental sections manage to capture rhythmic guitar density and circular drumming without sounding anything like Sonic Youth. Yeah! The B side is more like a Monoshock styled full on psychedelic blast. All in all, the best tape I received with inkjet printed J-cards in a dog's age.

Check it out here.