THOU – BATON ROUGE, YOU HAVE MUCH TO ANSWER FOR
self-released (2010)
I’ve been looking through some tapes lately to get ready for the daunting task of an all-cassette Needle Exchange column in the coming month, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to rave about Thou’s EP, Baton Rouge, You Have Much to Answer For.
The Louisiana sludge/doom quintet is one of the only bands in the world that show how quantity doesn’t have to diminish quality, their astonishing mound of output seeming to only increase their songwriting skills. This cassette (which is also available on vinyl) is just shy of 30 minutes and its four tracks are all killer. All of them. Opener “Out of the Mouth of a Fool” is more rock-oriented than usual, but without shearing off any of their cruelty. And the band does striking, slithering melodies like few others, always keeping the euphony covered in a layer of grime. Their apocalyptic cover of “Sifting” may be the heaviest interpretation of a Nirvana song ever, and probably is much closer to how Cobain would have wanted it, his riffs purified through the amps of idols Earth and the Melvins.
Baton Rouge, You Have Much to Answer For is, like all of Thou’s material, available for free on their website. That means even if you don’t have a tape player you can download the songs now and put in your order for the tape, which also happens to have a completely rad layout. It’s a simple process; I assume you’re doing it right now. —Shane Mehling
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Anon
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Sylvester
