by A. Uriquola
Spermatic chord is one of my favourite bands in Hong Kong. Their songs are
technically flawless and some of the most original stuff I’ve heard to come out
of the ‘scene’ in a long time. I have a few cd’s of live tracks and demos that I
make sure to pester their guitarist, Adam, for whenever I can. I listen to them
every morning when I’m getting ready for college and they’ve become a very
important band for me. I wrote the following to introduce the band to people who
may have not heard them before whether on cd or at one of their amazing live
shows. They have a demo out at the moment and plan to record this summer. I
recommend picking either of these up.
Ok, let's sort out some things before we begin:
A) I have, since the beginning, worked with Spermatic Chord at various levels,
occasionally singing and writing lyrics, but I've decided to leave my initial
involvement out of the article because it's not about my band.
B) Adam, who plays guitar and writes the music for SC, also played drums in my
band ‘boys in the well’. Both are on a split cd and I've known him for years,
having played with him since I started playing the guitar myself. However, don't
think that our history will bias this article in any way because …
C) I love SC. In my opinion they're one of the best bands to come out of Hong
Kong since Charisma, who played shows four years ago. It’s also refreshing to
see a band make an effort to not sound like anyone else and still make great
music.
The beginning seems a good place to start. Towards the end of 2002, the Hong
Kong band scene had lost many bands as its members had to leave for university.
Within a few short months there was no Schneider, no these.are.the.bullets, no
bush on fire etc. It would piece itself back together as it usually does with
fresh new faces, but in the time when everyone had just left, there were those
who were back in Hong Kong with no bands to watch that they could enjoy and call
their own.
Two seasoned veterans of the Hong Kong band scene, Adam and Tino, decided to
start a band. They christened it Spermatic Chord, a play on an anatomical term
(Adam’s a medical student) and recruited Marcus, who Tino had played with in
previous bands. Rather than taking cues from what had come before them, they
chose not to think about what genre of music they would play, and instead just
rock out. No one wanted to see some lacklustre Watertown wannabes and we sure as
hell didn't need more weak-ass middle of the road emo fags singing about the
bible.
The two agreed that they weren't too hot on the mosh metal hardcore that 'breaks
it down' every two measures either. The band started to develop a sound that
included elements of post-hardcore, jazz, funk, middle-eastern folk and metal.
However Spermatic Chord's heavier elements would strike out strategically: when
the band kicks it up, everyone feels it.
I remember thinking that the original line up was perfect. There were no emo
boys, hardcore kids, punks or whatever in this band. These were fans of good
music. From Captain Beefheart, to Neil Young, to Tool, these guys probably
listened to EVERYTHING between them, no shit. First you had Tino and Marcus who
had already proved themselves as a steady grooving rhythm section in bands such
as Just 78 and Schneider. Then there's Adam. Equal parts Cornelius, John Zorn
and Slayer he goes into everything looking to fuck it up and comes out with a
masterpiece. I've always held him in such high regard even though I think he
disagrees.
I remember hearing Adam's early ideas with just guitar and a drum loop, and then
seeing these songs played at an early SC practice. What struck me was that
little had been done to the original ideas. They were simply beefed up by a
competent, dynamic rhythm section. Their practices were just as intense as their
live shows. Tino would zone out, hair sticking to his face and looking up with
his eyes closed. Adam's guitar playing made this three-piece sound like a two
guitar band. Marcus was all over those drums, I think he actually gave spermatic
chord a groove as well as a solid backbone, solid, never missing a beat and
consistent as fuck.
Unfortunately, SC picked up during the SARS outbreak and when they were ready to
go, one by one all the shows started getting cancelled. The biggest
disappointment was the cancellation of what would've been a truly amazing show;
Five kinds square from Japan with Spermatic Chord as the opening act. Keep in
mind; Adam's had a place in his heart for Japanese hardcore since one of his
first shows was going with ‘The Fascist Giraffe’ to watch Envy four years
earlier.
Spermatic Chord did eventually play shows in the summer and I remember hearing
many good things. They seemed to be known as 'that band that covered Mario and
Tetris'. I remember when Adam went on a weird kick a while back and started
learning songs from old computer games; it’s cool to hear it’s become part of
his live show. Sadly, as summer ended, much like the circumstances that made
Tino and Adam jam together in the first place, Tino had to leave for university.
Tino's replacement, James could not be more different, but he's fit in with the
band well "Tino had an amazing stage presence... and a car" says Adam, "But
James has been absolutely great. He's not particularly into heavy stuff but he's
in it to play music. He is very musical and already knows what to do without me
showing him. The fact that he's learned to work with some of our weird stuff and
that he comes down all the way from TST to practice and play shows what kind of
commitment he has".
This was a strange time for the band as both Marcus and James ended up in casts
and there isn't a heck of a lot you can do with a crippled rhythm section. It
was at this time that Adam worked on what would become the 'Death is an ironic
scene' split with ‘Boys in the well’. Playing guitar and producing all of it. He
ended up doing some electronic drum tracks for '3' due to Marcus’s injury. This
has since become a favourite song amongst those close to the band and is
reminiscent of the industrial metal of his old band ‘Jack Goth’.
During the morning of partying on January 1st 2004, Adam got asked to join
‘Breathing Method’. A week later he ended up recruiting their singer Nicole into
SC. It seemed a strange choice at first. Strangely enough Nicole's voice fit in
with the music like the missing puzzle piece it was. "At first we were all
sceptical but we soon discovered that this was the way the vocals were meant to
sound. Finding a dedicated vocalist was like a dream come true for all of us.
Previously I had a tough time coordinating my guitar playing with my mediocre
singing, that problem’s been solved and Nicole has been superb."
Now with a solid line-up the chord seems stronger than ever and according to the
band, the songs have been coming together faster and better. The band has also
been working in jams into their songs, which, it was discovered, was one of
James' strengths. "Up until now, SC's has just sort of been playing out my ideas
most of the time,” says Adam "But when we jam everyone really shines at what
they do and it sounds great".
Unfortunately, year after year the prospect of band members leaving for uni
hangs over the band like a curse. Adam qualifies this by saying that "It does
suck, especially this year as Marcus has been the best drummer I've worked with
and one of the best that I've seen. It's been so great having a solid line-up
and I'm pleased with everything that we've done". The thought of ending
Spermatic Chord doesn't seem to cross his mind; "We've made some great songs and
the shows have been fun. We should have some recordings done soon as well. I'll
see if I could find new members whom we could work with. If not, then I'll start
playing with backing tracks and Spermatic chord will have to go techno or
something".