A.H. Kraken – “Giana Michaels” – (Sweet Rot)

There was a minute where it looked like Metz, France was going to be the most exciting place in the world (for me). La Grand Triple Alliance Internationale de L’est was in full swing, connecting the dots on bands like Feelings of Love, Plastobeton, and of course The Anals with the likes of A.H. Kraken. A true mark of quality, the La Grand logo on the back of this single cemented it as a quality record.
It’s easy to say “Brainbombs” when you start talking about A.H. Kraken: disturbing imagery, similar vocals, European, single-riff-repetition. But where Brainboms occasionally relied too much on BEING Brainbombs, A.H. Kraken is able to move past that. The guitars sound thick, and the riffs are slightly more off-kilter. It’s repetition for the sake of repetition, but there isn’t the rock-riff feeling that their Swedish counterparts had. I get songs stuck in my head, but not in the rock’n’out way that songs like “Die You Fuck” do. There are times when these songs reach a No Wave peak and then others when it sounds like you’re listening to a Teenage Jesus song you’ve never heard (that doesn’t have Ms Lunch but instead has Arto Lindsay).
The drumming on this record might be the thing that stuck with me the most. The floor tom and kick sound like they are being hit with a 2x4 and the high hat sounds like it’s made of high-quality trash can lids. It’s animalistic and tribal and still very punk.
Sweet rot is a label whose releases I will continue to by if for no other reason than that they make very nice looking records. Beautiful heavy stock reverse-board pocket sleeves and heavy records.



I wish I knew what anyone in any of the great French bands of 2008 are up to now. I’m sure it’s just as fucked up and miserable as it was then.