Mass of the Fermenting Dregs

When it comes to female powered rock bands, there often seems to be a propensity for them to fall into one of two extremes. Either the super loud and gnarly grrrl rock, or the softer, cutesy side of pop rock. For some reason it feels like girls either rock hard or not at all. Mass of the Fermenting Dregs shatters this lazy and myopic view into tiny glittering pieces. Their ten-ton drums and massive bass bring the weight while singer/bassist Natsuko Miyamoto alleviates the pain with her clear yet strong voice.

Formed in 2002 out of Kobe Japan, the band, like so many others, seemed to take its time releasing material. Their first self-titled mini album didn't surface until 2008, with their second, World is Yours, quickly following it up in early 2009. Originally a trio of women, their drummer left just before their first release. Now they are officially just a duo with supporting drummers. Perhaps just as important to their sound is who they have working the board in the studio. Both Kentaro Nakao, ex-bassist of Number Girl, and the incomparable Dave Friedmann (Weezer, Low, OK Go, The Flaming Lips, not to mention Number Girl and Zazen Boys as well) have crafted the Dregs' sound.

And an epic sound it is. While the songs themselves are not overly complex, they are quite dark and expansive in scope. The guitar and bass feed off each other to form some pretty grim chords while the drums keep things moving at a brisk pace. Think Ogre Your Asshole's tone meets Vola & the Oriental Machine's energy with a little bit of Chatmonchy's upbeat vocals. While the Dregs' sound may be dark, the songs somehow transcend the fog and have much more power than your average post-punk or shoegaze band. They are very poppy in a sense, yet not in a dumbed-down way. First and foremost, they write superb songs that just might lull you into a false sense of security right before breaking your skull open. So pay attention.

BUY MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS CDS AND DVDS HERE, AND MP3S HERE

I F A Surfer


Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Natsuko Miyamoto - Bass, Vocal
Chiemi Ishimoto- Guitar

Releases:
World is Yours - 2009
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - 2008

Kono Speed no Sak e


Promo