Robinson - The Great City

I figured I would start by posting one of my personal favorites. Robinson was a band from Ohiovania. What kind of band were they? I've never quite been able to decide the answer to this question. Blast beats and dissonant guitars paired with the vocalist's distinct shriek characterize Robinson's sound. They were somewhere between the metallic grindcore of Rotten Sound and the atonal, angular riffage of The Contortions. Those name drops alone should be enough to convince many of you to snag this gem.

But wait, there's more. Perhaps the most interesting quality of The Great City is that it is a concept album. While concept albums are nothing new, they are usually restricted to the progressive genre. It's virtually unheard of for a band this heavy to delve into such territory.

The album clocks in at a whopping 21 minutes, 11 of which are the final track (the only time the music slows down to any significant degree). This should give you some indication of the speed and intensity with which Robinson tears through their songs.

Unfortunately, the band broke up soon after the release of this album in 2006.

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