David Comes To Life
(Matador)
An 80-minute post-hardcore rock opera in four acts, David Comes To Life is a ... wait, where are you going? Come back here, and take your fingers out your ears. Sure, a rock opera is an unusual thing for any contemporary band to make … let alone a band which, like Toronto’s fine F***ed Up, operates under the vague (and, let’s be honest, nigh-on meaningless) banner of punk. But that, dear reader, is why this is such a treat: it’s riotously, unashamedly different in a way that so few bands would dare to be. The epic narrative is a fascinating yet barely comprehensible tale of love, loss, ontology and shoes, while the music ... well, all guitar-based life is here. Hardcore purists will hate it for its melody and odd nods to jangling indie rock; others will run a mile from the maelstrom of riffs and Damian Abraham’s furious vocal style. It’s their loss. Whatever’s going on, it’s wild-eyed, hugely ambitious and unlike anything else you’ll hear this year. Or lifetime, probably.
