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Pleasureboaters

¡Gross!

(Don't Stop Believin'; US: 12 Oct 2008; UK: Unavailable)

There is certainly no lack of temerity throughout the 12 tracks on the Pleasureboaters debut album. Known for their rambunctious live performances, ¡Gross! is a visceral display of the band’s slash-and-burn, Liars-style garage punk. Whether it’s the pulsating rhythm on “State of the Union”, the unnerving dissonance of “Elliptical Realism”, or the trash riffs and funk appeal of “Leopard Print Babyware”, the Pleasureboaters have an unapologetically abrasive sound, led by singer Ricky Claudon’s impassioned yelps and vacillating screams. The Seattle trio has seen some support from the local blogs (and, more importantly, local indie radio station KEXP). The attention is well deserved; the band has a combination of raw energy and lo-fi quality which is hard to come by in today’s polished recording climate.

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Joe is a freelance writer who focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. His work has been published at AOL Music, Staten Island Advance, NYDailyNews.com, and SIDump.com. One semester away from mastering J-School over at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Joe lives in a pastoral abode out on Staten Island where he enjoys the solitude and the whiskey.


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