Heard from p 15 Heavy Breather Worser Everyone’s encountered those albums that grow on you. But what about the records that grow in you? That’s the only way to ex- plain Worser, the latest album from Valley punk band Heavy Breather. Despite the al- bum being out only six months, these 11 tracks echo over and over in whatever parts of our brain are connected with social deviance and a ceaseless urge to slam dance. Their music is meant to stir up something elemental, that primordial spark of fury only righteous punk music could ever fully engage. All that’s likely be- cause this is a deeply Arizona album: It’s weird and filthy, perfect for cultish bon- fires in the desert or skating stoned in an empty pool. The album knows itself and readily accepts those cracks and flaws — a self-acceptance ritual most residents at one point perform. Given just how per- sonal this LP is for Heavy Breather, it’s like they’re snarling at the world with crunchy hooks and endless nihilism. CHRIS COPLAN No Volcano Rubber Dagger The title of No Volcano’s fourth album is a little misleading. The name Rubber Dagger gives the listener the impression that de- spite its edgy appearance, the band have decided to play it safe. However, if you give any of the 13 tracks a spin, you quickly real- ize that the quartet did nothing of the sort. Spirit of the Beehive for inspiration. In turn, they managed to brighten up the dark genre of shoegaze by adding catchy melo- dies to singles about loneliness and despair, which they do to great effect on the single “Alone Too.” The record caught the atten- tion of many an indie music blog outside of Arizona, but the Valley would be wise to give the band the praise they deserve. If your New Year’s resolution is to listen to better music, do yourself a favor and shop local. JK Mike Dee The addition of local legend Bill Goethe al- lowed the band to push themselves for- ward. Their album release show had a similar vibe. If you’ve seen No Volcano per- form live, everything looked familiar at Valley Bar in November, right down to the mirrorball mannequin head spinning wildly onstage. But there was a sense of im- mediacy when they performed the songs live. When it could have been easy to do more of the same, it was electrifying to watch the excitement in the eyes of these pros (we assume as they wear sunglasses onstage) as they stayed sharp and pushed themselves to the limit. JK Take a walk on the No Volcano side. Nanami Ozone NO In March, downtown dive Gracie’s Tax Bar hosted Nanami Ozone’s album release party for their second full-length album, NO, in their parking lot. It was an unusual move for both the band and the bar (Gra- cie’s is better known for its curated juke- box, not for hosting live music). Then again, Nanami Ozone are not a typical band. For their first release on the Caro- lina-based indie label Tiny Engines, the quartet looked to their labelmates The Jimmy Eat World Surviving For 25 years, Jimmy Eat World have repre- sented Phoenix on a national stage by de- livering a steady stream of impeccably written pop-rock songs. One of the most intriguing developments of the past five years is their marriage with longtime M83 producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen. He’s re- fined their charm and freshened their sound, and Pitchfork now deems them worthy of a review. This October, their sec- ond collaboration arrived, Surviving. The album is a tight, 36 minutes of self-aware singalong songs. The lead single is “555,” a synthed-out power ballad named for the fictional area code all cinematic phone numbers share. Through addictive melo- dies, Jim Adkins laments his lifelong mis- fortune and complains that when he calls out for help, it falls on deaf ears, like calling a “dead line.” In the music video, the song’s narrator becomes a melancholic sci-fi dic- tator pouring his heart out to his hordes of CALL FOR SPECIAL PRICING ACURA • CHEVY • DODGE • FORD • HONDA Hyundai • Jeep • subaru • nissan • saturn toyota • VOLKSWAGEN • ISUZU • mitsubisHi FREE TOW TO OUR FACILITY UP TO WITH ENGINE INSTALLATION (ONE TRIP PER VEHICLE) 50 MILES “Arizona Engine Rebuilding is “Hands-Down” One of The BEST Engine Shops I’ve ever used! The New Owner, John, was great to work with. He is a man of his word, integrity, and down- right honest; he and his Engine Techs take pride in their work. They rebuilt our 2007 Chevy Tahoe 5.3 L V-8 Engine in February of this year, 2018. It’s running as strong as when we bought it brand new in 2007. We love our Family Vehicle, and plan to keep it for years-to-come... 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