"Fucking's Greatest Hits" - 20 years of "Burn Piano Island burn"

When THE BLOOD BROTHERS put out their single "Ambulance vs. Ambulance" in advance of their third album, I got the feeling that they were up to something big. While this track may have been shockingly disturbing for those new to the five-piece, it was shockingly catchy and streamlined for those already into the maniacs from Seattle, Washington...

Still, I was quite surprised how much of a splash "Burn Piano Island, burn" made when it was released in March of 2003. Its predecessor "March on Electric Children" was excellent yet massively overlooked and underappreciated. It was understandable though, cause the record was small, raw, crazy and without any compromise. Just some months shy of releasing "March on Electric Children" they got signed by ARTISTdirect, a sub label by the big major BMG. And they recorded with non other then Ross Robinson, the biggest Rock-producer of this time period. Robinson already stuck his nose into HC/Punk when collaborating with AT THE DRIVE-IN for their swan song "Relationship of Command", yet it was unusual for him to record with a band as quirky as THE BLOOD BROTHERS. They were never meant to become as popular as AT THE DRIVE-IN. Hence, working with Robinson must've been quite the praise for THE BLOOD BROTHERS.

With that being stated, they still reached an unexpected popularity level with a sound like this. Their fourth full length received rave reviews by all sorts of music-magazines and they got some TV-coverage on top of it. They offered that kind of chaotic, spazzed out HC/Punk (think BOTCH, THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES, CONVERGE, FEAR BEFORE, etc. in terms of attitude) quite possibly the biggest stage up to this point. 

In terms of style "Burn Piano Island, burn" is something like the "Pop-version" of "March on Electric Children". They stuck to a lot of their trademarks, like the screeching screaming, the tandem of the two vocalists as well as the insane, odd time signatures. This was nowhere near a "sellout". The two major improvements (at least with an objective point of view) were the production and the songwriting. The production was as clean as possible and powerful as fuck. One year after the release of "March on Electric Children" the leap in production value was probably a bit too much, yet the album sounds fantastic and timeless. While "March" was too low in the mix, "Burn" was way over though Robinson didn't bastardize their charme. See "Relationship of Command" for a similar experience. Speaking about that, "Burn" was to "March" what "Relationship of Command" was to "in/Casino/out". 

The songwriting then was more hook-heavy, they also experimented with some singing and wrote catchy melodies. A track like "The Shame" is their take on a ballad, while cuts like "Salesman, Denver Max" or "Cecilia and the Silhouette Saloon" relied on midtempo and strange harmonies. What's striking is, that "Burn Piano Island, burn" offers some of their longest cuts, de facto 6 of the 11 songs are clocking in between four and a half and five and a half minutes. Personally I always preferred their shorter cuts and think that the record would be even better with three or four shorter tracks replacing the expansive compositions on "Burn". But it's no real downside whatsoever, as they surprisingly thrive in that new songwriting-setting. The long songs are entertaining, offer something new all the time and last not least, the often underrated musicality of THE BLOOD BROTHERS shines as bright as ever. Going back to this record after a very long time I'm downright impressed how strong it is. They keep it up for all its 45+ minutes and the tracklist is full of classic tracks. The only slight downside is the over-stimulation of "Burn Piano Island, burn". The listener get's bombarded with a shitload of crazy ideas, without getting any real breather. It's intense as fuck and even if it might sound stupid, it's nearly two much awesome-ness stuffed in a quarter hour. 

The ending of the record was a long time myth to me, as it felt like the mix was fucked up with "The Shame" ending that abruptly. I remember believing that my CD had some sort of damage, but in the end it merely was THE BLOOD BROTHERS' wacky nature. To me, these guys were one of the most important bands of the "Aughts" and real genius. 20 years later, "Burn Piano Island, burn" stands as a testament and as a demonstration of how far you can go with spazzed out skinny-guys-in-skinny-jeans-music.