Artist:
De La Hoya
Album: Wipe The Slate Clean...Now Let's Begin
Label: BD Records
Release: 2002
Web: Official Site
Wipe The Slate Clean...Now Let's Begin is a four song EP that was
released towards the end of April 2002, which co-incided with the band's final shows ever.
It was their last release, and their most accomplished to date. De La Hoya was a great
four piece post-punk band from New York. Their sound was very diverse, and definitely was
not your typical punk affair. They were known for their great lyrics, often filled with
numerous political references, and for their ferocious vocals courtesy of lead singer
Aaron.
The EP begins with "Thathorates," a fast paced ode to underground shows.
It is a great opening track. "Charles" is the second track, and my favorite on
the album. Check out this lyrical excerpt: "Children scattered around the classroom
floor like blank pages on tablecloths. I tried to sing them all to sleep. Charles at my
chair, he can't lay down. Too excited to be alive. And he wants some answers out of me. A
blank sheet of paper and the crayons clutched tightly in our hands. This is what we
dream.This is what we dream. Wipe the slate clean Now let's begin." The sound on this
record is extremely tight musically, and "Charles" hits that point home with an
exclamation point.
"Consumer Confidence" begins with a mid-paced acoustic strum, and then
rips into full band action dramatically. It is a decent song, but my least favorite out of
the four. "Captain Turnaround" ends the album in melodic fashion. It is a
fitting goodbye, and it feels somewhat nostalgic. The drawn-out ending kind of cements
that theory. De La Hoya created thought prevoking post-punk songs in a way that few bands
have been able to accomplish since the early 90's. They will be missed, but their impact
on the New York punk scene and those who have heard them will live on.
PS - De La Hoya played their final three shows in April 2002. One of the shows was
about twenty minutes away from me. I didn't have a car, so I was pretty bummed out that I
missed it. Fortunately, Aaron is in a new band called Marathon that is basically an extension of De La
Hoya. De La Hoya guitarist Oscar is also in a band called Nakatomi Plaza. |
© 2003 - Please contact me
before using anything found on this site. |
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