You Could Learn a Lot From Gay Marriage

Photo Rosa Foto

“Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in few words.” – Ecclesiasticus 32:8

“Brevity is a great charm of eloquence” – Cicero

“It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what other men say in whole books.” – Nietzsche

If there is one thing that writers appreciate it’s efficiency and clarity. In the last few years I’ve gained a re-appreciation of the short story form particularly because its strength lies in its brevity. Perhaps that’s why one of my favorite things to encounter as a reader is when a writer writes one sentence and that sentence encapsulates an entire world. Music is no different and that is why I love the new Gay Marriage CD-R.

Hailing from the Houston Grindcore scene this band packs 6 songs into 3 Minutes 35 Seconds. Not one note is wasted, everything that has to be said is said, and nothing is said that is unnecessary. It is hands-down the most listenable, fun and witty CD to come out of Houston this year. Kevin, Mikey, Nick, and Will (last names would be too loquacious) throw out a barrage of songs that, under Chris Ryan’s engineering, evoke all the sweat and energy that you’d imagine you’d experience at any hot summer night at a Gulf Coast Grindcore Show at Southmore House.

Take the last song on the EP ”The Situationists Are Dead You re Next”. Off in some desperate race, the bass and drums are met by a guitar that kicks the pace to that of a frantic hundred-yard dash; the instruments and the vocals stumble and crash into each other with all the chaotic precision of a Jackson Pollock. 23 Seconds! “It’s OK Not To Skate” saunters in, breaks into a manic riff, jumps off another, and then brings it back home in 25 seconds. The epic 58-second “Elk Skull” leads off with this great metallic bass tone (think early Big Black) that is eventually beaten down by the merciless battery.

The rest of the EP is just as much of a frenzied blur. The frenetic songs shove you aside and you are left lying on the floor with no idea what just hit you. That, my friends, is half the fun. If Nietzsche were a musician today, he’s be envious.