BAND OF THE DAY: CLOUD RAT

Apologies to Michigan grind trio Cloud Rat, this certainly isn't an argument they deserve to be associated with, but the meatheaded amongst you will notice how you never see the phrase 'female-fronted' associated with them, despite their being a blunt, factual truth to that statement. That's because it's patronising to frame an entire band through some incidental detail as if it's the most significant thing about them. If the only difference is biology, why not talk about your favourite 'Jew-fronted bands' or your favourite 'Jew vocalists'? I mean, yeah, there's a chance that you might sound like a massive racist, but you should remain committed to underlining perceived differences, no matter how ridiculous or bigoted that makes you look. Come on you massive hypothetical hypocrite, tell us about your favourite 'negro-fronted' band!

There's a hint of that muscular death/grind vibe associated with Assück (incidently, I'm cited as a reference on the Assück Wikipedia page which makes me far happier than it really should) to the furious Cloud Rat, albeit with more clattery, traditionally grindcore chaos, moments of calm introspection and pit pounding Magrudergrind mosh. The band's self-titled LP and their half of a split cassette are downloadable with their approval, so, listen to them both and celebrate grindcore being so rooted in punk's aspirational egalitarianism (even if it irregularly delivered on it) for pointing out the gender of band members to be an awkward exception rather than a condescending rule.