We live in a time in which groove-ridden hard rock sells millions of records. If Coalesce were rapping and had turntables, the Korn and Limp Bizkit kids would worship at its feet. Instead, the KC band has stayed underground with its paint-peeling blend of chaotic hardcore, heavy riff segues, and penchant for making a wall of noise sound beautiful. Somewhere between metal and hardcore lies Coalesce, and it's completely comfortable being there.
0:12 Revolution in Just Listening is a record full of sarcastic views of the world, evident from the song titles alone: "Cowards.com," "While the Jackass Operation Spins Its Wheels," "Sometimes Selling Out Is Waking Up." This being the last Coalesce studio album (the band broke up late last year), the mentality is nihilistic to say the least. Vocalist Sean Ingram dispenses sarcastic and poetic commentary on the state of politics, the "scene," and more than likely, the band's demise. Although his guttural delivery is indecipherable at times, it is saturated with tooth-grinding intensity that bolsters the record's chaos. (Bless Coalesce for including lyrics in the liner notes.) Add to the vocal chaos some insanely complex breakdowns and transitions (see "Jesus in the Year 2000/Next On the Shit List"), and it makes for a smart, heartfelt record that, thanks to slick but gritty production, somehow makes the disjointed flow together smoothly.
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