Blenderhead

    Blenderhead

    Seattle, Washington7 reviews across 4 releases

    funk rockgrungepost-hardcorepunk
    Discogs

    Blenderhead was a Seattle punk band formed in 1992 around Bill Power, whose bass playing and strained singing gave the group a tense center. Its early music paired groove-heavy punk with melodic passages, aggro guitar riffs, and lyrics about anger, alienation, and damaged relationships. The 1994 debut Prime Candidate For Burnout moved from screamed frustration to tightly arranged songs, while Muchacho Vivo reduced the hardcore attack in favor of more somber writing. By Figureheads On The Forefront Of Pop Culture, the group had developed an angular math-rock edge, with jagged guitars and drumming that frequently avoided a standard four-beat pulse. Power's lyrics could turn a failed relationship into a bitter joke about wishing he had stolen a car, then shift toward satire aimed at Seattle's indie scene.

    The band broke up during its first United States tour in 1995. The 1996 EP collected earlier singles, demo recordings, an outtake, and one spoken-noise piece, preserving the rougher side of the group before its return to Tooth & Nail. Blenderhead re-formed for Figureheads On The Forefront Of Pop Culture, recorded with producer Kip Beelman and featuring Tyler Vander Ploeg in the second-guitar position. The reunion ended after the album cycle, and the band was inactive by 2001. Matt Johnson continued in other Seattle-area projects, including Roadside Monument and Ninety Pound Wuss. In March 2016, Power, Johnson, and other former members reunited for Vander Ploeg's fortieth birthday.

    4 releases reviewed