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Paintbox: The Door/Provided Railroad 

Paintbox is a band that by all rights shouldn’t have been as incredible as they are on record just based on the fact that they used the world’s most unlikly instruments to achieve their sound. Then again maybe if anyone could do it, it would be them. When I heard last summer that their guitarist Chelsea (formerly of Deathside, Poison Arts) had passed away, I found myself rather blindsided by devastation. I didn’t know this man, and there are bands I’ve spent more time listening to than Paintbox or Deathside, and as they say, “people die every day”, but something about the knowledge that I’d never see this dude play in the flesh had an adverse effect on me. I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the feeling. How do you really mourn the death of a stranger? I moped around most of the day, and then ended up laying on a river bank in the Nor. Cal. sun playing back most of the Paintbox discography on my headphones. Later on someone mentioned to me that when Paintbox was asked what they wanted to do and see when they were in the USA, they would always say “see beautiful nature”, and so maybe this was a fitting way to remember Chelsea.

Sorry to all the BidHc loyal to get “emotional” here, but as the date of Chelsea’s passing is only a few weeks away, I couldn’t help but think of this (there’s also a big memorial show coming up for him in Tokyo on August 17). The leads that this man could lay down are some of the most staggering I’ve ever heard, fluid and searing the way Pig Champion (who I feel lucky to have seen play twice), or Eddie Clarke could be. There aren’t a lot of guitar heroes in this day and age, and I’m sad to say for the last year there’s been one less for the likes of me.  When you play the B-side of this single, Provided Railroad, and in the middle of the chaos you hear him tear a solo on a classical guitar it’s just obvious the man is operating on another level. What? Oh you’re not familiar with Paintbox’s affinity for non-standardized hardcore punk instrumentation? Well on this particular release, in addition to the usual Scream/Guitar/Bass/Drum set up, you’ll hear a horn section, some wood blocks, a harmonica, and that classical guitar. While this may have disastrous results with any other hardcore or punk band, it pays dividends here, and mixes well with the kind of bizarrely tuneful riffs that Paintbox were able to cook up. The A-side, “The Door” opens with a blast from a brass section that sounds like they’re announcing the arrival of a king, which they basically are, and then proceeds to swoop you up in a whirlwind of speed-picking fury and rough throated shouts.  Only Motorhead and the aforementioned Mr. Clarke have reached this simultaneous level of brutality and popiness before. Or if maybe Poison Idea had recorded with a Mariachi band as accompaniment.

I’m sure a lot of people reading this are probably shaking their heads like “how can this be good”, so let me invite those people, and also anyone who doesn’t like riffs, to please leave the room and don’t ever call me again. Go home and listen to whatever idiots listen to these days. I think the band is called No Age.

Through their whole career Paintbox were a band that delivered riff after riff that only could have come from them, they’re sort of eastern-tinged, kind of Iron Maiden-ish, and there’s this undeniably poppy undercurrent. To me, trying to boil down the sound of their recordings is like trying to give reasons why the Sun is bright. Their second lp (and possibly last depending on the state of on their third), Earth Ball Sports Tournament, finally received vinyl treatment (after 8 years of being a CD only Japanese release) on Prank Records this June. If you have any class you’d do well to pick it up (as well as the Prank repressing of their first album “Singing Shouting Crying”). I firmly believe it’s one of the 10 most interesting and rewarding lps of the last 10 years.  

The Door b/w Provided Railroad is out of print now, and is about 8 or 9 years old, so it shouldn’t be too much. Maybe like $20-$30.

Ps. thanks.