A Survey of Gauge Means Nothing Reviews
Oscillating between extremes
When I released The Absent Trail of an Echo and My Future Plagued By Surrender on vinyl in 2003, I tried to send review copies to every zine and blog that I could. I can’t remember how many copies I sent out, but it must’ve been at least twenty. Out of those, some did get picked up and reviewed.
Even though I didn’t have a part in the recording production, I’d still listened to the EP an insane amount of times before the vinyl was completed. As such, I was probably as close to it as the band members. Maybe closer, because I was head-over-heels in love with all five tracks.
So, when some of the reviews were finally printed, there were split moments of validation and shock. The reviews were either “this is the best thing ever” or “this is unlistenable”.
At this point, I’ve had over twenty years of thinking about and discussing the EP and its responses. And now, with the recent resurgence of interest in GMN, I’m again wondering which parts resonate with people, and even considering what resonates with me. Not in a critical way necessarily, just introspectively.
So, as a bit of a fun exercise, I’ve collected as many contemporaneous reviews of the GMN EP that I could find. It was interesting to re-read these with hindsight and more experience with the underground music industry, and music in general.
I hope you enjoy a short jaunt through the past as well! If you know of any other reviews, please send them my way.
Killthenoise.net
https://web.archive.org/web/20040423181204/http://www.killthenoise.net/gauge.htm
with their first release, tokyo’s gauge means nothing prove japan are no slackers on the hardcore front. much like fellow countrymen envy, they generally go for an emotive hardcore sound with strong screamo leanings. their long progressive tracks allow a great deal of expansion under this general description however, with punk, metalcore and pop-rock influences, and a lot more besides, pervading through their congested manic sound.
the numerous vocals are just as varied as the rest of the music, and although the female vocals can be a little painful sometimes, are a big plus on the whole. the fact that it’s all in japanese isn’t really that important - the majority is in the form of indecipherable screaming anyway. they definitely have a touch of oriental-tinged epicness about them, as the progressive intro to the opening track shows, and they also use some nice gentle melodic breakdowns to take the edge of the heavyness. it’s not as polished as the likes of envy, and a few of their adventurous and downright odd combinations of the heavy and sugary poppy don’t quite work - but the sheer energy this band exudes is definitely contagious, and overshadows any imperfections they may have. basically, you can’t help but like them. an impressive and unusual ep that you won’t be forgetting for a while.
poisonfree.com
Wow, what a fucking Bomb!!!
Every once in a while I get a record for review, which let´s grin like a maniac, making me want to thankfully kiss Phil´s and Flint´s stinky feet for giving me the opportunity to review for *poisonfree.com. And Oohh boy, this record is exactly such a boot licker!!
I could throw around with superlatives here or just tell you, that when you´re interested in emo you should be already out by the time you read this, getting your weeping face into a record store and demanding them to carry Gauge Means Nothing. They´re the best emo band I´ve heard in the last half year and this record is straight up fabulous!
Let´s forget about the quite cliché name here and jump into the musical description. These 6 persons from Japan play emo in the vein of Khayembii Communiqué mixed with some influences from old school emo bands like Jasmine. The songs are pretty long and you get 4 tracks in 27 minutes. They mostly stay away from creating those building up emo climaxes (like Indian Summer did) and neither fall into the ultra chaotic style almost all of today´s (scr)e(a)mo outfits pull off. There’s more of a punk vibe to their sound, going full throttle from the start (with the exception of the first song), throwing around an ass full of nice ideas, including the use of the coolest of all instruments: piano, violin and a triangle. Heartfelt and most of all honest vocals, reminding of classical mid 90ies emo bands, consisting of changing male and female shouting /singing / speaking and great rhythms along angular melodies round this gem up. At this point I have to especially honour the absolutely killer female vocals. They really blast away everything in their way, reminding me of the Akira soundtrack (I know this sounds strange), while sending shivers down my spine.
As far as I can see, this record was released on Endless/Nameless in Japan and I’ve Come For Your Children, who send me this copy, elsewhere.
They can be contacted via: I’ve Come For Your Children / 252 Barker Rd. Nashville, Tn 37214 USA. From what I’ve seen on their website, the label even got some more nice stuff in the making right now and with a release like this Gauge Means Nothing record I am eager as fuck hearing their future output.
Once Again: Get this, by all means necessary! The best thing I´ve come across in the past 6 months!
Andreas
Short Fast + Loud
https://archive.org/details/short_fast_loud_11/page/n39/mode/2up
Quite a release here from this Japanese screamo band. This record reeks of talent and musical genius. This band is capable of setting moods in each musical measure, going from emo laced indy punk to Ebullition political hardcore to soft piano passages to double bass heaviness. The female/male vocals work well but I prefer the female, especially during the screamo parts during the first song. You’d have to cover your ears in excruciating pain to avoid the unbelievable shrieks she can muster. The duet very well on the soft melodic bits, him screaming loud, her singing sweet and gentle. Really good for this style and it’s released domestically. Go seek sulking punks!
Collective Zine
Pfft, that pretentious title sounds like something Envy would come up with. Ok, Gauge Means Nothing are Japanese and scream a lot but I don’t know if Mogwai think they are cool. Personally I would much rather listen to this than Envy’s latest (overblown) opus, because it is utterly bonkers. Some might say it is trying too hard and a bit over the top (yes, it is definitely the latter), but I find this record incredibly fun to listen to. It has 4 songs spread across it’s rather fancy wax, and these songs are a ridiculous blend of fast and poppy punk and mental screaming. Into the mix comes keyboards and a high pitched girl yelling her lungs out, boys bellowing and all sorts. It has plenty of fast and catchy riffage to hook you in, but just when you think you have a handle on what’s going on (such as in the first song), the boy and girl start doing undeniably cute singing like they are in a pop punk band on Snuffy Smile. No relent though, it’ll all spazz back out before you’re ready, the opening track descending into breathless sobbing and a twinkly mellowed out finale with twee yet somehow sombre keyboard. They follow that with 3 more songs that are all impressively interesting and exciting. They mix up the various elements “” melodies, harsh screaming, fun singing, oddball keyboards, catchy riffing and come up with the full package. I guess it’s sort of like if Yaphet Kotto and a French emo band had drunken sex and gave birth to a child that had some kind of addiction to sugar or an extravagant attention defecit disorder. “Boku Wa Bikaiin” is particularly troubled, starting off all happy sounding with boy+girl harmonies before it goes into this bizarre section with all kinds of screaming and xylophone or glockenspiel playing. The song then alternates between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for it’s duration. Cripes. It has a super catchy pop punk part with sung vocals and screeched backups, so endearing. The ending with the piano and girl vocals and the screaming and the guitar solo is just plain whacked. I give up trying to describe it. Incredible.
None of the tracks on here disappoint. I bet they’d be an utter blast live. You personally might not like this, but you have almost definitely not heard anything like it. I think it’s great.
- Andy Malcolm
Maximum Rock N Roll #251
https://archive.org/details/mrr_251/page/n119/mode/2up
With tunes from the other side of the Pacific (Japan to be exact), GAUGE MEANS NOTHING is alllll over the place. On this melodic-as-fuck LP, there are keyboards, bells/chimes, metal guitar parts, piano interludes, feedback, blast beats, screaming, screeching, shouting, and singing. I don’t think I have ever heard so many different kinds of vocals on a record. There are both sung and screechy hiiiiigh-pitched female vocals, male screams/yells, the occasional growl and at one point it sounds like everyone is mimicking the melody with “ooooohs” behind the main screamer. Though there is a lot going on vocally and with the key-boards, the music is, for the most part, pretty straightforward emotional hardcore kinda like a faster paced, less epic ENVY. This is an interesting album for sure. Only 500 were pressed, so get your hands on this black marbled vinyl and look out for future Japanese hardcore releases from I’ve Come For Your Children. - Zoe Minervini-Zick
Punk Planet #61
https://archive.org/details/punk_planet_61/page/n123/mode/2up
Japanese screamo with guy (screaming) and girl (baby talking) throughout. It rips off ‘90s emo, but the screaming and silly/incoherent lyrics distinguishes it from said genre. A mellow guitar instrumental brings needed relief. (Erica Gallagher)
Impact Press #50
https://archive.org/details/impact_press_50/page/n51/mode/2up
I’m going to start this review by saying the title of this album is almost longer the album itself. Now that I have that out of the way, GMN are a hardcore band from Japan who play epic hardcore music. Imagine God Speed You Black Emperor meets Marakate at a Therion band practice. (RP)
Heartattack #42
https://archive.org/details/heartattack_42/page/n51/mode/2up
Lisa told me this was the worst Japanese hardcore band ever. Well I don’t know what the hell she is talking about. Hater. Holy shit this is the best record I’ve heard in a really long time. Dude what the fuck? I really cant describe how rad this record is. No words can do this justice. You just need to own it. For real. Most essential record of the 2000’s, These kids are the next thing. Order at will. [Out of the two of us, it looks like I will be the one to review this record. Casey certainly didn’t give it his sarcastic all. Upon listening to this LP I was shocked that it came from Japan because it was so bad. Normally, if I don’t like a record from Japan it is because of the fact that I don’t like the style. Japanese punks tend to have the good sense to not play shows until they can play well, and not put out records until they will sound good. Gauge Means Nothing did not sound good, and only got worse as it went on. They take heavy guitar chords and intense melodic moments and twist the two together in a way that can only be described as unharmonious. This is worsened by the atonal male and female vocals. Really, I was shocked that this record was so bad. There wasn’t a single song that didn’t make us cringe at the Ebullition HQ as we listened to the promo. -Lisa] CW