ABOUT THIS ALBUM:
“LKN sounds like a direct descendent of the whole Slint/June of 44/Shipping News axis. The songs are shorter but just as complex. The band (which is, in fact, one Lauren K. Newman) crams so many ideas in three-to-four minutes it’s scary.”
—AIDING AND ABETTING #328
“We always marvel at the ferocity and tightfisted aggression of Ohio slashers Knife The Symphony. Garnering comparisons to Jawbox and Squirrel Bait—hallowed references!—they don’t fall flat, because unlike many postpunk bands, the Cincinnati trio aren’t so angular they neglect some muscular, storming punk fire. Rarer, they’re dynamically diverse; note the couple-minutes breakdown into near silence then back into full rage midway through the seven minute monster “Flat Time.” Not many have the command to subtly, slowly quash and then reclaim heavy volume over such a long stretch, and all three of their cuts are as liberating as crushing.”
—BIG TAKEOVER #67
ABOUT THIS ALBUM:
“You know, the cutting-edge hipster music blog Pitchfork recently gave the reissue of Jawbox’s last album a rave review, so the time is possibly right for early-‘90’s style post-hardcore. Knife The Symphony has a little Squirrel Bait, a little Drive Like Jehu, and yes, a little Jawbox. In other words, all the best touch points for this kind of music without sounding like a rip-off of any one in particular. Some of the melodic intros get a bit meandering for my tastes and the songs are a tad long (on hits over seven minutes!), but the loud, faster parts are ripping. Definitely worth checking out if any of that sounds appealing.”
—MAXIMUM ROCK & ROLL #321
ABOUT THIS ALBUM:
“Spastic scrambles of art rock genius”
—ROCTOBER #46
“The album is forty minutes of finely crafted post-hardcore filled with the sort of gripping rhythms that were the centerpiece of many great bands in the early to mid 90’s.Knife the Symphony succeed heavily on Crawler by thriving on pure power and emotion. It’s moody melodic driven post-hardcore that anyone who considers themselves a fan of the genre will definitely want to investigate further.”
—BUILT ON A WEAK SPOT