If you are in doubt whether to check out the new Knowso record, know that at different points in time Total Punk, Drunken Sailor, and Neck Chop released music by the band. Those are three outlets with prime tastebuds and top-tier scouting abilities. The new Knowso record Pulsating Gore is out now on another trusted label, North Carolina’s Sorry State Records.
The songs on Pulsating Gore are of the postpunk variety with angular guitar work, throbbing bass riffs, spasmic rhythms and talksinging as main components. While I’m not huge on post-punk, there is something about Knowso that makes them a welcome exception. A scorcher of a song like Heavy Hauler is simply wonderful, and just one example of the sheer class of Knowso’s rhythm section. Last Of the Punks, meanwhile, is almost like listening to beat poetry to a simple yet effective repetitive guitar riff.
Pulsating Gore is a record with sharp edges that walks a crooked line, but it still is accessible enough to light a fire on a broad audience.