Self-titled
(Amnesian Records)
www.amnesianrecords.com
Beings is Miami's newest power trio and in its short span of time it has been creating some serious waves across the land with this nifty eight-track album and their recent high profile touring with hometown darlings Torche. But it should come as no surprise, because the individual members post an enviable pedigree of local music.
Drummer Betty Monteavaro made her bones musically anchoring the legendary Floor and is a very well respected visual artist who recently published a book of her art titled Quiet Village. Mike Alen comes to us via the equally notorious and missed :Nobuhjest: and his other concurrent project, Foreign Bodies. Ivan Marchena's guitar work has graced the likes of Map of the Universe and Bling Bling.
This release does its job in an efficient and satisfying manner. These are tightly crafted and perfectly executed two-minute long songs that echo and reverb throughout with nuances of metal-tinged hardcore, Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., straight-up rock and roll, and the cadence of loud power pop. It pays to leave the disc on repeat because you don't want it to end.
The opener, "Naysayer" establishes the grime with innocent queries before tearing it up with the chorus and the incredibly well-gelled rhythm section of Betty and Mike, which comes into greater fruition as the songs fly by, and betrays the fact that they have not played together their entire lives. Ivan's vocals centralize the heat with appropriate inflections throughout, and his guitar is a perfect match for the base provided.
"The Climb" is a stripped ditty of wild howls that reminds me of a ghetto version Ralph Nielsen and the Chancellor's "Scream," albeit in a more updated and less mysterious method. This is a fun tune! "Tattletale" is the closest we come to extreme punk and roll clocking in at fifty seconds, and full of hatred towards bitch-asses that juxtaposes itself with another raucous number, "Zombie." "Metro Zoo" is the opus here at slightly over the three minute mark, and it is equal parts reflection and social commentary, which is allowed amidst the fracas of the fun since art is supposed to make us think. Personally, I can't wait for a follow-up effort.
