Review: Negative Scanner – Self-Titled

 

Negative Scanner
Self-Titled

Trouble in Mind Records
Street: 07.10
Negative Scanner = The Fall x Wipers + The Sound

Negative Scanner are brash, gritty and blistering in their sincere post-punk release. Powerhouse Rebecca Valeriano-Flores snarls and shudders over short, intense bursts of ferocious, anthemic songs and deft musicianship. Negative Scanner are refreshing, too—the Chicago-based four-piece fosters a grisly and full sound while remaining remarkably precise, never once storming out of control. The band’s unapologetic and distilled brand of DIY punk is no-frills: It’s stripped down and uncluttered, steering clear of the gimmicky or romantic, save the occasional dive into darker and more brooding soundscapes, or the particularly burning and hard-hitting moments of rage. Valeriano-Flores’ vocals carry each track, pummeling listeners as noisy, textured guitars clamor over one another, building tension in one moment and then slashing it in the next, propelling Negative Scanner’s defiant punk energy. –Kathy Zhou