Calabash Case - Discography (1995-1998)

     Calabash Case were a emo-hardcore band from San Diego, California. The band were Wrenched Records alumni like Evergreen, The Shortwave Channel (covered earlier this month) and The Interstate Ten. Like their contemporaries in the San Diego scene, Calabash Case refused to conform to any one sound and put out a myriad of electic songs with influences stemming from post-hardcore, emo, indie rock and dream pop.

    I could compare Calabash Case's sound to bands like Thumbnail, Unwound and even Portraits Of Past at some points. The vocals are a little rough around the edges at points but it does add to the charm of their music, which is stylish, youthful and full of interesting melodies. The song Land A Plane off the self-titled LP is a great representation of Calabash Case's sound, complete with a very Unwound-sounding section to close of the track.

    This band took a little while to grow on me but they have been a go-to for me this month and I highly reccomend checking them out if you have been enjoying the Wrenched Records catalog. Wrenched is really up there for me as one of my favourite "emo" labels of the 90s!

Discography

ST 7" 1995 (Wrenched Records)

(i'd love better pictures/scans of these releases if anyone has them)

Parading Constantly CD 1998 (Wrenched Records)

ST LP 1998 CD/12" (Wrenched Records)

The Shortwave Channel - Bright Lights They Hurt 12"/CD (1997)

    The Shortwave Channel was a post‑hardcore band from San Diego, California. A somewhat unorthodox band even for the San Diego scene, The Shortwave Channel was a three piece band that featured drums, bass, and Moog synthesizer. The band's sound was a surprisingly well meshed mix of post‑punk and post‑hardcore, comparable to fellow rockers Antioch Arrow and Giving Up The Ghost. 

    The Shortwave Channel's songs are hypnotic and repetitive, prone to breaking out into bursts of energy; the bass is played as a lead instrument most of the time, which reminds me a lot of Canadian indie rockers The Inbreds, while the Moog either slips in sparingly or rises up to give the songs an extra atmospheric push. In their short existence, the band only managed to release one album, "Bright Lights They Hurt," on Wrenched Records. Fellow Wrenched bands included Evergreen, The Interstate Ten, and Antioch Arrow.

Bright Lights They Hurt

Bright Lights They Hurt CD 1997