6 HZ by THE BEATINGS
— Brighter Than Bright —
— Experimental Test Monkey —
— Shark Attacks Are on the Rise —
— Wring Me Out —
— No Glen, It’s a School Night —
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MDRF002 | Feb 2001, SEP 2002 | 31:59 | CD EP
“Expecting a punk band and not getting one … bringing back memories of the days when R.E.M. would really rock out, raw and energetic. There are hints of a Yo La Tengo-type noise, and when mellowness hits, it swirls into a dreamy guitar mood, with the vocals just screaming over the slow drive of the rhythm. The CD ends with a very raucous song that carries hints of early Buffalo Tom, but with the vocals almost falling apart, hoarse and broken, but very alive.”
— Marcel Feldmar, The Big Takeover
“Every so often I seem to get bitch-slapped by a band I’ve never heard before. Blindly, I stumble around, asking myself, “Why haven’t I heard these guys?” So let me ask The Beatings something: What took you fuckers so long? This Boston-based group’s latest 5-song CD EP 6hz has been kicking my ass up and down for about a month now, and it’s been the most depraved, satisfying month of my life. The Beatings rely on simple, punkish rhythms augmented by manic leads and strained (but inherently melodic) vocals … This works to a great effect on tracks like “Brighter Than Bright” and “Wring Me Out,” the latter showcasing some excellent, inventive guitar work. The best track on the EP, “Experimental Test Monkey,” would have been a classic power-pop tune in the late 80s. Its fragmented leads, assured drums, and mournful, insistent vocals take hold of your brain harder with each listen, kinda like that Alien pod slowly making its way into your mouth and down your throat. By the time you’ve listened to this CD for a couple weeks, it’s too late. Your stomach is about to explode and get blood all over the inside of the nice clean spaceship walls. Oh well.”
—John Wenzel, Sponic
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“Hailing from Boston, The Beatings’ recent disc may be short in quantity – it’s only a five-song EP – but it’s long on punchy, three-chord melodies, variations and nuances… and very similar to The Pixies. Things start off with “Brighter Than Bright” and a hopeless intonation of a nasally, “all dressed up, showing everywhere you’ve been,” that then delves into a thrashing drum accompanied by a weeping guitar and throaty desperation, while manipulating a slight monotonous but pandemonium feel. The Beatings carry the creative thirst throughout the album via tuneful turns, discordant guitar work, and drum and guitar variations a la Doolittle and Surfer Rosa. Adding to the coarseness is “No Glen, It’s a School Night,” with its scratchy lyrics, catchy sing-along-refrains, mild melodic shrieks, and an outspoken bass. After approximately three minutes of silence, the pseudo-end becomes a moving, emotional tune dealing with suppressed feelings exploding into screams. 6hz perpetrates an indie punk reawakening prepared to jolt even the laziest person.” — Melissa Bergeron, Flagpole Magazine
“6 Hz’s first song starts out slowly, and rather like Modest Mouse’s “Teeth like God’s Shoeshine”, it gradually evolves into a punk song. It thereby conveys two distinct moods, which is one mood more than your average punk song. Similarly, with one or two arguable exceptions, this EP is a step up from other punk EPs. At its best moments, it seems like a modern version of Pink Floyd’s Wish you were Here, as most of
the songs are themed around people who’ve lost their souls in their day-to-day bustle. The album peaks on the third track, “Shark Attacks are on the Rise”, as different psyche-voices intermingle and the instruments pulsate. The Beatings have a good feel for how punk music should sound; while
their music is rarely complex, they always manage to change it before it gets boring. It might take you a few listens to understand the lyrics…but once you do, you’ll see that they’re as impressive as the music.” — Josh Kazman, Splendid
“Some heavy names were dropped in trying to get me to listen to this CD, names like Sonic Youth, Husker Du, and The Pixies. Elite
enough company to make any self-styled music critic both apprehensive and intrigued. The good news is that The Beatings belong in that elite company, their sound having obvious roots in that fertile, mid-to-late-’80s period of what was then called “progressive” or “new” music (before the term “alternative rock” was coined, much less overused to the point of meaninglessness). Even better, the band never sounds dated or derivative — despite wearing their influences on their sleeves, there’s something fresh and new about these six songs. Perhaps it’s because nobody’s making this kind of music anymore — not even the people that were the obvious inspirations — but moreover, the band seems really interested in building on the base that the earlier bands provide and taking it to the next level. So call The Beatings the heirs to the throne, and with challenging, dissonent-yet-melodic, and impassioned songs like “Brighter Than Bright,” “Experimental Test Monkey,” and “Wring Me Out,” they deserve it. An excellent EP that deserves attention — we could use a few more bands like The Beatings in these teen pop-dominated days!” — Julio Diaz, Ink19.com
“Great indie punk, expressed as a mix of Superchunk and the Pixies. Walls of guitar and a twitchy set of male/female vocal leads. Plenty of distortion for all. With vox that seem for the most part like a war is being waged with one’s larynx (and the larynx isn’t doing too well). At any rate, 6Hz demonstrates that the Beatings have the potential to continue making vital music.” — Jeremy Salmon, Allmusic.com
“The name is terribly misleading, but the music isn’t. Falling somewhere between Yo La Tengo, Varnaline, Mission of Burma and the much missed Squirrel Bait, The Beatings make space and squall sounds with unexpected sharp turns left of center. The low Viking chorus on “Shark Attacks Are On The Rise” fits surprisingly well among its open feel. “Wring Me Out” is my personal favorite of the five songs on this
self-released CD, with a beautifully urgent vocal delivery and a nice half time break down. There are no credits anywhere for band members, only a blurry photo under the tray card (so very indie rock!), so I can’t say who does what, except that Bob Logan (Vic Firecracker) has again done justice as engineer on this outing. Hopefully they’re as good live as they are on this disc.”— Tim Catz, Boston’s Weekly Dig