Take a trip back to the mid-nineties with Calgary's The Corta Vita on this 17-minute five-song EP. It was a time of thick glasses, young rich boys rolling around on the floors of community centers and new, innovative terminology like "screamo." It was also around the time tons of people left the hardcore scene. Go figure. Regardless of the negative connotations that this disc throws off, it's an impressive slice of chaotic post-hardcore, devoid of a lot of reference points, but in the same universe as Bread and Circuits or Haymarket Riot. Of course, there is a heavy influence from all things D.C. here, including, yes, you guessed it, Fugazi. Sometimes melodic, sometimes dissonant Communication Is Nothing... is propelled with a forward-driving momentum which keeps things interesting. The "just scream, why not" vocals have to go though; they provide a disservice to the fairly unique music and just grate, get in the way, and don't serve as much of an emotional outlet for the listener. I don't want to sound like an old man, but, you know, let's mix it up a bit. The packaging is nice (no lyrics, just a few good quotes thrown in) and with song titles like "I'd Explain it to You but There Is a Lot of Math Involved," it's hard not to want to give the disc a spin. Well worth the time of the post-hardcore connoisseur - if there's any of those left - but hardly jaw-dropping or a necessity. RECOMMENDED TRACKS: "Fire at the Paper Factory", "Choking Under Last Year's Dead"

By Greg Pratt
Aug 8, 2002