Paint It Black "CVA"

I am going to be a bit different and I'm going to try and complete this album review within the album's running time: eighteen minutes, so if it seems a bit off, you'll know why, but I think this is the best way to approach such a record. Melody might not seem to be a term used for an album that has seventeen songs and is eighteen minutes long, but CVA is actually quite surprising in that way. True, songs fly by, but they never seem to be short; instead, the album flows with succinct precision, which ensures that not one damn second of it is wasted. In fact, the band have wisely played songs off of each other, which makes the album, at times, seem like one big, continual song. I'm even surprised to admit that it didn't seem like it was only eighteen minutes long; they do such an excellent job in making their point in as little time as possible, that you really don't notice the time. An excellent example of this is "Womb Envy," which, on the surface, is only 1:25 minutes long, but among all those short songs, it's an epic of Prog-Rock proportions.

And intelligence! Let's not fail to mention how damn smart Paint it Black really are. "Don't talk until you take a walk in my chucks, I guess you're shit outta luck" is one of those lines that will always stick with you. Sure, these guys are hardcore, but they're not brain-dead duh-heads like so many other bands making this kinda thing. These guys ain't dudes, they're not your sk8er boi's, either--these guys who have a helluva lot to say and instead of moshin and breakin' skulls, take a damn listen to songs like "Watered Down," "Void" or "Less Deicide, More Minor Threat"--unless, of course, you're not down with that whole 'learning something new' thing.

As I think I've stated before, Paint It Black have a very keen sense of economy, the seventeen minutes on here--nothing wasted, and they've not passed up the opportunity to say something meaningful, either. There's nothing on here that's less than burning, and for a debut album, CVA is pretty damn impressive. It's pretty impressive because it's only 11 songs and I've said so much already. Paint it Black will leave you spent and smarter and this meal of rice was really a five-course dinner. If you're not down with hardcore or punk rock, you'd still do well to check out CVA; it's a most refreshing blast of music, and you'll totally enjoy it. Crank it in your car. Play it on your walkman. You're sure to enjoy it; the album is not made to dumb you down, it's made to smarten you up, and if you're left a little bit smarter, then who can argue with that? Besides, if you can make music this fast that sounds this good, then really, why shouldn't you?

Still, I've had a lot to say in the few minutes that CVA has been playing. I can't believe it's still not over yet! I'm just gonna try and think of things to say while the alb

--Joseph Kyle