The thumpin’ impact of The Pleasure to Remain so Heartless, takes no longer than a few seconds to signal to the listener that KANE HODDER is no ordinary band, merely going through the motions with thoroughly mediocre music. KANE HODDER are aggressive, diverse, clever, and frustratingly hard to pin down. To some degree, the neurotic nature of the band’s indie rock/hardcore gun-slinging bears some similarity to their Washington State neighbors in BLOOD BROTHERS, but with more linear transitions. However, KANE HODDER have an extra weapon up their sleeves, and that comes in the form of the multi-talented vocals of lead singer, Andrew Moore. From entrail-removing screams, to heavenly falsettos, Moore is a fascinating frontman. While every vocal combination isn’t exactly perfect (falsetto back-ups?), Moore’s unpredictable style keeps you on your toes throughout all eleven songs and impresses to no end. Musically, KANE HODDER are a hyperactive songwriting unit that steers clear from conventional verse/chorus/verse trappings, and goes more for the pouring of stream of conscience exhortions. Not surprisingly, some songs fare better than others, and the nearly six-minute fifth track, “Heaven Help Me, I Love a Psychotic,” should have probably spent more time before the cutting board. The following track, “A Machine In The World of A Man,” however, is The Pleasure to Remain so Heartless’ high point, where Moore’s lead vocals take a remarkable turn towards both SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE territory, and the music flattens with the gut-wrenching dynamics of PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS. I have no idea how KANE HODDER makes it through a practice without each member wanting to kill each other. Things get even more chaotic on the seventh tune, “You Sign Your Crimes With a Silver Bullet,” where characterizing this band as bi-polar might just be an understatement – at least the wurlitzer sounds pretty awesome! The recording quality to The Pleasure… is beautifully crisp, giving the guitars a nice punch, and the flavored percussion plenty of room to breath. KANE HODDER naturally have a “big” sound, and the mix on here adjusts accordingly when certain instruments command a little extra bit of spotlight. It’s a tough task to pull all of the elements to The Pleasure to Remain so Heartless together, and come out with some kind of coherent conclusion, and I suppose that’s the point. KANE HODDER are the antithesis to genre confining, tiring expectations about what punk/hardcore/indie music should sound like. These guys don’t just blur lines – they make you question why lines ever needed to be assigned. If DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN can have a hand in completing a similar function in the metal scene, then KANE HODDER compare favorably to reaching such heights, but on a less extreme level… and with a gnarly falsetto.

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