Awash in those oh so necessary, urban exorcisms of modernity (cold-cast in concrete, carbon, and steel), The Fencemen walk a crooked avenue betwixt colloquial rock abstractions and post-punk maturation…somewhere within ennui and exile.
Birthed in the winter months of 2010 but now long since vanished and absorbed into other musical endeavors, The Fencemen hailed from Lansing, Michigan, and what transpired therein consisted of raucous bouts of hollow-bodied guitars, drums, multiple voices, organs, tenor saxophone, and bass, with the occasional accompaniment of assorted horns, tambourines, foot stomps, and strange, conspiratorial missives. As their “Century Blues” somewhat-plaintively intones, “This ain’t no concession, this here is a hundred years of light,” suggesting some alternate dawn where the dormant industrial wastes of Middle America once again find their place at the table.
The Times Are Alright LP is a self-released exercise in the exploits of used-up, hollow individuals in modern environs, and its sister release, the More More More More Monuments EP, is an exploration of brutalist architecture, the American railway system, and the sagging gables of urbanity. It has been quietly argued that, “While minor chords and edgy timbres run rampant like the rats and jackals [their compositions] describe, neither the music nor the message are ultimately glum. Supported by an undertow of optimism, these albums are sonic representations of the band’s rustbelt hometown – industrial and downtrodden, but with the resolve to come back swinging harder and stronger than before,” a fair appraisal of activities now extinct.
The Fencemen,
Tyler Mitchell Blakslee (vocals/keys)
Jared C. Nisch (bass)
Mike Reed (guitar/vocals)
Dan Jaquint (drums/keys)
Michael Teager (saxophone/flute)
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