Search - Coulier :: Cool, Cooler, Coulier

Somewhere in between grindcore and cock rock, irony and sincerity, brute strength and smart-ass charm, lies COULIER. After a year and a half of line-up changes and a significant creative shift, Athens, Georgia's most over-the-top power trio has emerged with its premier full-length on Stickfigure Records, "Cool Cooler Coulier," and an unequivocally original sound armed with more surprises than most music fans can prepare themselves for. The music consists of nimble, labrynthine chords and masterfully intertwined guitar leads juxtaposed with WMD-strength metal riffs. Unafraid to pay homage to (or is it parody?) their guitar hero roots, dueling guitarists Adam Newman and Brion Kennedy rarely shy away from an opportunity to engage in an Iron Maidenstyle harmony or a squealing pinch harmonic. Drummer Navid Amlani (ex-Camaro Crotch) keeps the duo grounded with a furious cache of rhythms ranging from heavy to, well, heavier. The whole mix is tempered with a liberal smattering of jarring time changes and dizzyingly mathy breakdowns. Vocals, for the most part, are jettisoned entirely: they would've gotten in the way. This album is simply too abstractly aggressive for a vocal style to attempt to tie the band into one genre or another. Tongue firmly in cheek but at the same time entirely sincere, Coulier has created an album not for the light of heart, but ultimately rewarding to any fan of aggressive, intelligent, but totally dumb rock n' roll. In other words: close your eyes and feel. This is Coulier.