June 25, 2019

Episode 34 – No More False Transparency: The Works of Anacrusis

1 hour 20 minutes

It began with suffering and ended with screams (and whispers). St. Louis' radically-progressive Anacrusis never enjoyed the recognition they so deserved, but popular neglect did little to temper their potent vision. A product not only of the ‘80s thrash scene but also of the fertile post-punk and alternative rock landscapes, Anacrusis mined an especially personal sound that reconciled the aggression of the heaviest metal with a plaintive, often painful, sense of melancholy. On their final two albums, the towering Manic Impressions and Screams and Whispers, the band developed a harmonic guitar strategy that continues to test the limits of innovation. On this, the 34th episode of Radical Research, we survey the expanse of the band's four albums and hope to convert both initiates and skeptics to the Anacrusis faith.

Note I:

In 2010, Anacrusis independently released re-recorded versions of their first two albums, Suffering Hour and Reason, with the original lineup (Nardi, Heidbreder, Emery, Owen). While we understand their motives and find the re-recordings quite good, we chose to feature the originals in this episode. The re-recordings, titled Hindsight: Suffering Hour & Reason Revisited, were released again by Divebomb Records in 2011.

Note II:

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Music cited, in order of appearance:

“Frigid Bitch” (Suffering Hour, 1988)

“Present Tense” (Suffering Hour, 1988)

“Fighting Evil” (Suffering Hour, 1988)

“Stop Me” (Reason, 1990)

“Afraid to Feel” (Reason, 1990)

“Child Inside” (Reason, 1990)

“Something Real” (Manic Impressions, 1991)

“Explained Away” (Manic Impressions, 1991)

“Idle Hours” (Manic Impressions, 1991)

“Sound the Alarm” (Screams and Whispers, 1993)

“Tools of Separation” (Screams and Whispers, 1993)

“My Soul’s Affliction” (Screams and Whispers, 1993)

Kenn Nardi, “This Killer in My House” (Dancing With the Past, 2014)

Kenn Nardi, “Symbiotic” (Dancing With the Past, 2014)

“Terrified” (Reason, 1990)

Episode 35 preview: National Health, “Dreams Wide Awake“ (Of Queues and Cures, 1978)

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.

This is Radical Research Podcast episode 34

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