I always feel like I totally missed the boat on a band when the first time I review something of theirs is their “post-break-up leftovers disc,” and such is the case with BLUETIP. It’s nothing personal, but these guys never found any space in my musical landscape – so be it. “Post Mortem Anthem,” is a great disc however, so I feel lucky enough to just get ahold of it, and it certainly has piqued my interest in seeking out their earlier material. There’s five previously unreleased songs on here, as well as five tunes from various EPs, split-EPs, and compilations – incredibly, it sounds very complete and much credit should go to the guy who mastered this thing. BLUETIP play a raw style of post-hardcore that shows off far more speed and intensity than I would have expected. There’s an overall “haunting” vibe to much of the music, that while is a stretch to call “spooky,” is certainly darker than not. I see quite a bit of similarity between BLUETIP and one of my current favorite bands, BLOOD RED – the music is relatively fast, the vocals are packed with emotion, and the drumming is solid, but nothing grates on you. In fact, as I listen to this again, I suddenly feel like dancing – and I HATE dancing. Finally, it should be noted that the packaging on “Post Mortem Anthem,” is drop-dead gorgeous. The enclosed booklet is chock full of lyrics, an extensive history of the band, and very cool photos from all across the globe. There are few discs in my collection that are more visually appealing than this one.

Dischord

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