I saw them doling out flowers at a recent show ... which made me wonder if they had been attending MWY shows recently (although it was carnations instead of roses, to their defense). I like these guys because they are on a small label (Loveless) which hails from a very reputable town (Seattle, Wash.). Their debut LP, self-titled, conjures up images of golden DC eras gone past, full of fury, strife and revolution. myspace.com/theshackeltons

OH, SLEEPER
Dallas’ own Oh, Sleeper stakes its claim to be mentioned among the hardcore elite of the Solid State Records community with its first album, When I Am God, now in stores. Having just finished a tour with one of the most up-and-coming acts on the roster (label-mates August Burns Red), this quintet seems primed and ready to make an attack run. There is both sung and screamed vocal approaches here, with enough tenacity to raise the hairs of even the most calloused heavy music listener.

“We have chanty hardcore parts, rock parts, melodic parts, breakdowns and techie parts,” offers vocalist Micah Kincaid. “We even hired an opera singer to come into the studio to add to the process. We wanted it to be the most interesting listen possible. None of us even listen to heavy music ... we pull from hip-hop and singer/songwriters to make music that we, ourselves, enjoy listening to. Hopefully, that’s what makes us a little different than everything else out there.”

With vibrant imagery of spiritual warfare and battle, perhaps the most intriguing element to these guys is their lyrical content. Kincaid proclaims on the first single, “Vices Like Vipers”:  “When I am god, the church is unsound.” The whole of the message: when left to our own means, we can only be trusted to bring about our own calamity. And in confessing so, Oh, Sleeper lays the foundation for anyone in need of divine intervention. myspace.com/ohsleeper

Andrew Schwab is the lead vocalist and lyricist for the band Project 86. He is also the author of three books, as well as an independent journalist. Visit him online at myCCM.org/andrewschwab, andrewschwab.com and project86.com.