Friday's Stuff We Like

A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head

Much to the dismay of my audiologist, there are two things I consciously (and maybe even a bit defiantly) do that I probably shouldn’t. The first being that I don’t wear ear plugs when I go to shows and the second being that I position myself as close to the stage speakers (crowd-willing) as possible. My need to experience sound in its pure unfiltered form is just too strong to deny, and this has certainly been the case any time I’ve seen the once heralded “loudest band in New York” that goes by the name A Place to Bury Strangers.

But the decibel abuse/overdose doesn’t stop there with me, oh no. The trio’s latest album is a tortured and manic valentine that ought to be played at maximum volume for its virtues to truly be appreciated. And Exploding Head is a perfect title for this collection of seething, hypnotic and anxiety-inducing jams that are all things tension, distortion, feedback and reverb. Perfect because there is actually a medical condition known as Exploding Head Syndrome and sufferers of which “experience a tremendously loud noise as originating from within his or her own head, usually described as the sound of an explosion, roar, waves crashing against rocks, loud voices or screams, a ringing noise, or the sound of an electrical short circuit (buzzing).This noise usually occurs within an hour or two of falling asleep, but is not necessarily the result of a dream and can happen while awake as well.”

And I though having tinnitus was bad.

So if you’re going to melt your speakers and do some inner-ear damage for a record, let Exploding Head be responsible.

(And yeah, it was totally ironic that while supplies lasted we issued APTBS-brand earplugs with orders for this record, but rest assured I kept a pair for novelty purposes only.)

- By Jory Dominguez