Young Widows Old Wounds

Old Wounds is the perfect example of a band hitting their stride. Young Widows, the result of the reorganization of hardcore standouts Breather Resist, delivered an accomplished debut with 2006's Settle Down City, a record showcasing the trio's newfound direction of Jesus Lizard-esque noisy rock. Fast forward two years and they've found a slightly peculiar home on Temporary Residence and, with Old Wounds as evidence, have completely dialed in their sound by achieving a precise balance between thick, driving bass lines, relentlessly strong drumming, and atypical guitar lines. But weren't all of those elements also present on Settle Down City Sure, but given the band's quick transition from Breather Resist into Young Widows, a number of grooves and song progressions still felt like they could have been present on Breather Resist's Charmer, thus preventing the new act from being addressed without mention of the members' musical past. Old Wounds is still unmistakably a product of the Young Widows camp, but the band's songwriting approach has evolved enough to where the album can stand on its own without leaning on a few of the tried and true elements that made Breather Resist such a hit. Yet that's not to say that the band has ditched their strong Jesus Lizard and Shellac influences with this record. "Old Skin" and "21st Century Invention" offer the same mix of gritty bass lines, walls of guitar noise, and atonal yells which David Yow and Co. perfected in the 90s and that Settle Down City drew upon so heavily. "Took a Turn" and "Let Him Be" succeed on a foundation of sparse, but hard-hitting drumming, complemented again by superb, driving bass lines and heard best in the spacious ending of the latter. But there's also a touch of odd melodicism that makes a few appearances throughout the duration of Old Wounds, surfacing in numerous forms ranging from the stripped down strangeness of the borderline-ballad, "The Guitar," to the warmer guitar lines and catchy vocal melodies of the slightly subdued "The Heat Is Here." Settle Down City may have been a quality release that guided a lot of Breather Resist fans to Young Widows, but Old Wounds refuses to rely upon any of the old act's tricks, and the result is a record so focused, well-executed, and downright enjoyable that it will undoubtedly show up on a great number of listeners' Best of '08 lists. But praise for Old Wounds would not be complete without addressing the album's fantastic recording and production job. Nick Theineman continues to make bassists across the nation drool with some of the best rock/hardcore bass tone since Cave In's Caleb Scofield. In addition, the record's eleven tracks feature a mixture of both studio and live recordings (taken from performances at venues like The Middle East of Boston and The Subterranean of Chicago), with no change in recording quality. In fact, if it weren't for a few audible crowd reactions interspersed throughout the disc, it would be nearly impossible to differentiate the live recordings from those laid down with Kurt Ballou at Godcity. When you're as musically capable and tight as Young Widows, your live recordings simply overshadow the deliberate studio efforts of many other bands. Bottom Line: Settle Down City was a great debut for Young Widows, but with their sophomore full-length, Old Wounds, the trio has really nailed their brand of noise rock by taking a small step away from a lot of already proven Breather Resist musical elements. The result is a record blending strangely melodic songwriting with the expected dose of abrasive noise rock. And it's all captured with recordings from both live and studio settings. Any fan of intelligent and heavy rock 'n roll needs this. No question about it.