Musculature

Think of Muscle Beach as part of the Colorado new guard of bands who know what it means to properly reach into the golden era of artsy or über-heavy indie-punk and convey inspiration without resorting to emulation. They also know how to rock so hard. In a category that might also feature Denverites such as the Big Business-y craziness of In the Whale or the Jawbreaker-esque antics of Cowcatcher, Muscle Beach has set themselves apart in a sea of killer bands by touring and recording extensively in their mere three years of existence (three tours, three records), but also by wearing their influence on their collective sleeve. When asked about the obvious similarities to Refused or Blood Brothers, Sanderson seems more honored than not.

"We've been hearing [we sound like] those bands a lot, and we couldn't be more stoked," he says. "When we did our record release, our first cover we ever attempted was Shape of Punk to Come; we love that album!"

For their newest effort, a tightly produced 11-track self-titled ass-kicker released in December, Muscle Beach blasts right out of the gate with neck-wrecking head-bangery and never stops rockin'. Even in transitional moments or the build-ups, there's always something exciting on the horizon, but it is somehow never predictable, even to the punk snob elite. Take "Eagle Wizard," a darkly ominous number that toys with a deceptively simple and dissonant backbone that all at once recalls an In Utero-era Nirvana at their most brutal ("Milk It," anyone?) and the early mathy insanity of lesser-known Militia Group acts like Blueprint Car Crash. Or look to the bass-crunching opener bleeding into the kind of speedy guitar riff that would be perfectly at home on a Fugazi single on "Gnarlitude." It all points to something very serious but also very fun.

"We take our music seriously, but we don't take ourselves seriously," Sanderson says. "We're not really sure what the ultimate goal is, but we do know that we want to keep writing and recording as much as we can."

This is good news for anyone who still has a foot firmly planted in the early-aught awesomeness that Muscle Beach so deftly recalls. By all reports, their live show is mind-boggling as well. This is hardly surprising, given the intensity of their recorded material, but it is still impressive. If nothing else, the trio is an excellent reminder of the way things used to be before (almost) everyone gave up on hardcore and a pretty important feather in local entertainment collaborative Kronos Creative's cap. By bringing a band that is absolutely heavy but not metal in the traditional sense of the term, they show respect to the musical palate of a certain cross section of Santa Feans, and we are, at last, given a little variety. For the love of God, don't miss this band.

Muscle Beach with Carrion Kind and Fields of Elysium
9 pm Saturday, March 5. $5
The Underground
200 W San Francisco St.,
819-1597

Santa Fe Reporter