May 5, 2014

Survival Knife’s “Loose Power” Is Tense, Fresh, and Anything But Predicatable

Courtesy of Riot Act Media

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Survival Knife
Loose Power
Glacial Pace

Folks who have belatedly discovered the great ’90s northwest band Unwound via its current reissue series will want to know about Survival Knife. Reuniting Unwound alumni Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno, this high-powered quartet updates their tense, knotty music without a hint of tedious nostalgia. Ranging from social commentary to confessional angst, the taut songs on Loose Power offer a surprisingly fresh hybrid of punk, metal and even progressive rock, incorporating influences from Metallica to Chuck Berry into their flexible sound. In the starring role, Trosper remains a compelling frontman, whose stoic vocals and twisty guitar riffs never settle into a predictable groove, revealing new facets with each hearing.

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

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So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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