Review: DIY ‘Four Corners’ Seattle Split Boasts Big Names, Killer Songs

fourcorners

Are you a supporter of local music that likes the idea of a four-way split between some of the most prominent and promising names in local Seattle music, spanning more than just one genre? If you answered no, well, I don’t know what to tell you, but if you answered yes, Four Corners is what you’ve been searching for all your life. Set for release on June 10th, the self-funded and wholly independent Four Corners split will be released to the world, which touts two new songs each from its four contributors, and will be supported by a June 2016 tour all across Washington State.

Local rock bands Crystal DesertActionesseThe Pro-nouns, and Asterhouse make up the split, and the split isn’t afraid to tiptoe into various flavors of rock. Asterhouse’s first track is the noisiest and the most free-wheeling of all; the guitars are punk as hell, the vocals are theatrical and emotive, the tune itself loose and catchy. The tracks put forward by Actionesse are less chaotic and are more about the surf-y grooves, shout-along choruses, and ass-whooping drum fills. Crystal Desert features more of a twinkly indie rock vibe to it, with eccentric lead vocals that aren’t afraid to get a bit zany. Think something like Topshelf Records by way of Foxygen. The Pro-nouns are more of your tried-and-true alternative rock, with shrieking lead guitars and the most comparatively easygoing sound of the bunch.

It’s most certainly a versatile set of tracks. “Hide Your Eyes from The Shroud,” the second Crystal Desert track on the split, sounds way darker and more post-punk’d-out than “Sick of Living.” Actionesse’s second track, “Who’s Gonna Wear This,” doesn’t sound afraid to get into a bit of ska-punk, where their other track had much more of a surf rock flair. “Sweet Fragile World” from Asterhouse is an unashamed dance-rock song, with a sturdy 4/4 kick drum and funky guitar passages. It’s an alluring C86-esque dance floor-ready song, with one of the most winning choruses on the compilation. Four Corners closes with an electronically-tinged, multi-phase 11-minute behemoth of a conclusion from The Pro-nouns, easily the most ambitious track of the bunch, and one that’ll turn any skeptics that possess the virtue of patience into intrigued fans.

Four Corners is the sort of release that makes you happy to be in such a vibrant music scene. While some parts of Four Corners may not be easy to digest in the traditional sense, it’s a delectably formidable collection of tracks. Each of its contributors brought their A-game for this one, and you can hear passion oozing out of every orifice throughout every song. After listening through the split a handful of times, Asterhouse emerged my favorite of the bunch, but this comp isn’t about seeing who can outshine the other, it’s more about playing off each other and generally kicking ass.

(Four Corners is available for pre-order now through https://fourcornerssplit.bandcamp.com/ digitally or on CD, and it’s definitely worth looking into. The release is set to drop on June 10th. You can check out the list of tour dates below for the Four Corners tour, and also stream the opening track “Singing on a Soapbox” from Asterhouse below.)

June 10 – Bellingham, WA @ Make.Shift
June 11 – Olympia, WA @ Obsidian
June 17 – Bremerton, WA @ The Manette
June 25 – Seattle, WA @ High Dive – $10 advance, $12 doors

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