Jeromes Dream / July - Connective Tissue 1999

Jeromes Dream

(West Haven, CT)

Jeff Smith (Bass, Vocals)
Nick Antonopulous (Guitar)
Erik Ratensperger (Drums)

July

(Apex, NC)

Gabe Johnson
Herb Harris

Basic Info:

Release Date: 1999
Label: Witching Hour Records
Runtime: 10:13
-Jeromes Dream: 3:50
-July: 6:23
Tracks: 2
-Jeromes Dream: 1
-July: 1

At a Glance:

Emoviolence, Post-Rock, Midwest Emo, Slowcore, Atmospheric

Points on the Timeline:

Jeromes Dream had just released their first split with Amalgamation in December of 1998, so this was still one of the earliest tracks they ever released. They would stick around for a couple of years before disbanding in the early 00s, whereby they’d release their signature material. Meanwhile, July is a duo with this one song and possibly a demo somewhere in the wild. They’re quite obscure.

Shapes in the Sound:

Jeromes’ side opens with one of their typical ferocious Emoviolence intros with utter insanity on the guitar and drums. Jeff Smith’s signature destructive vocals complete the package, though there’s also a bit of a second half to this one; the back end of this track is mostly atmospheric noise with dynamic aggression. Meanwhile, July’s track is quiet, blessed with just a guitar, some keyboard and the human voice. These nearly six-and-a-half minutes of Post-Rock goodness with Emo-style vocals are beautiful, but contrast Jeromes’ side completely.

Threads in the Tapestry:

How this obscure band linked with Jeromes Dream with almost zero music to their credit and living 600 miles apart is truly a mystery, but the world of Emo should be thankful for this contribution. While obviously not Jeromes’ greatest or most memorable work, it does feature a repetitive chord progression that the end that would become a hallmark of their sound for years to come.

Kulara - 5 Pieces Songs | Screamo HAll of Fame Class of 1999 Nominee

Release Information:

1999
Never Shown Face Records
Tokyo, Japan
Runtime: 24:56
Tracks: 5

Band Members:

Murase (Vocals)
Nakagawa (Guitar)
Tanaka (Guitar)
Takaya (Bass)
Kimura (Drums)

At a Glance:

Screamo, Prog, Math Rock, Post-Rock, Dissonant, Dynamic, Complex, Experimental, Noisy, Atmospheric, Dense

Musical Analysis:

The best word I can use to describe this sound is “disorienting,” as the musical complexity, masterclass dissonance and volume dynamics are all wrapped in this unique Progressive aura of experimentation. Slow, disharmonious sections composed from a tense atmosphere and a chilling melody will jarringly and frantically switch to a chaotic section of screaming and uncontrolled musical mayhem, a regular occurrence. It’s quite difficult to transcribe the sound of this beast into English, so I’m just going to recommend you listen for yourself and hear the magic unfold before your ears.

Historical Analysis:

Following Envy’s 1998 LP, Japanese Screamo began to experiment and refine itself, and no artist in the country represented that better than Kulara. After a few middling Screamo EPs, this 1999 release defined them as true innovators in Screamo with this Prog-adjacent masterpiece. The experimentation on here is unlike anything heard before OR after, evidenced by how difficult it was to conceptualize the sound in words. Although this particular release didn’t set the world on fire, it remains one of the crowning achievements of early Japanese Screamo and deserves to at least be mentioned in the same breath as other greats from the 90s.

Lyrical Analysis:

*Please note any lyrical analysis on my end may lack cultural nuance and accuracy in the translation.*

The EP takes you on a remarkable lyrical journey through anxiety and isolation, the violence of silence, losing sanity, the machinization of humanity and the illusion of autonomy. There’s a bitter sense of helplessness as language fails us and cycles of violence trap us. However, perhaps being insane in an insane society is the only true escape. Maybe, to break these miserable patterns chosen for our lives, we must shatter the patterns and destroy the self. Appropriately, this is a bit of Eastern wisdom after 25 minutes of catharsis.

Encyclopedia of American Traitors / Kwisatz Haderach - The Case of Joe Hill | Connective Tissue 1998

Encyclopedia of American Traitors

(Millersville, PA)

Andrew Martin
Keith Miller
Ryan Suffort
Steve " Yuletide" Sakasitz
Zachary Martin

Kwisatz Haderach

(Arlington, VA)

Geoffrey Todd Culbertson
Lucia Forte
Sam Gutterman
Todd Hoffman
Todd Neece
Yannis Stephanopoulos

Basic Info:

Release Date: 1998
Label: N/A
Runtime: 11:03
-Encyclopedia of American Traitors: 4:55
-Kwisatz Haderach: 6:08
Tracks: 4
-Encyclopedia of American Traitors: 2
-Kwisatz Haderach: 2

At a Glance:

Emoviolence, Frenetic, Atmospheric, Dynamic

Points on the Timeline:

Both of these small-time Emoviolence bands existed solely in the late 90s. EOAT was two splits and one EP deep into their career in 1998, with one more EP and a discography comp in their future. Kwisatz Haderach would only release an EP this year outside of this Split before calling it quits.

Shapes in the Sound:

Both of these bands execute dynamic Emoviolence with long, atmospheric buildups with some gnarly screams. EOAT tends to have more of a dichotomy between melody and dissonance, sounding somewhat like Saetia performing Emoviolence at times, while Kwisatz is a bit more “Hardcore,” for lack of a better term. Regardless, both of these artists took great care to ensure the hectic sections were balanced out.

Threads in the Tapestry:

This quick East Coast connection wasn’t well known, but both bands would flesh out Emoviolence in their respective regions. Though quite small time, members would go on to flourish in other Hardcore bands like Yaphet Kotto, Tiny Hawks and Virgina Black Lung.