Anadivine
“Self-Titled”
(Side Cho)
I get embarrassed when a band I’ve never even heard of blows me away. I like to think I’ve got my finger on the carotid artery of the punk scene, so when a band slips through the cracks I really feel like I’m asleep at the switch [full disclosure: by “carotid artery” I mean “nutsack”]. Such was the case with Anadivine, a threesome capable of going from heartfelt harmonies to harrowingly savage metal at the drop of a hat. While the scream/sing dynamic is about as ubiquitous as lower-back tats on college girls, there’s something about AD’s pleading earnestness and universal themes that set them apart from the Simple Plans and Dashboard Confessionals of the scene.
There’s a maturity in the hooks and a knowing self-consciousness in the lyrics (“Every note’s in vain, every note/ In this spiteful harmony”) that betray Anadivine’s neophyte status. The eight tracks (two instrumentals) touch on themes of murder, alcohol and drug abuse, and the anger that seeps just below the surface of life. Of course, the only anger seeping into my life comes from not knowing about hot new releases. Check this one out, and look for a full-length on Militia Group sometime this summer.
