Scout’s Honor

I Am The Dust

[3/5] Curveball! A label known predominantly for the trademark Gainesville punk sound, No Idea has gone a different direction by signing Illinois duo Scout’s Honor, and the subsequent release of their new record, I Am The Dust. An interesting dichotomy, the band juxtaposes a folk-punk sound with that of southern metal; and perhaps even more oddly, it works. Singer/guitarist Jared Grabb is able to toe the line between the more theatrical-sounding delivery of southern metal and the rhythmic delivery of punk. The ebb and flow of the entire album is as interesting as the band’s initial approach, as there are some tactfully included acoustic songs to juxtapose the slow, sludgy sounds of tracks like “Canvas.” Minor complaints of a few sub-par songs aside, I Am The Dust is a solid, albeit different effort from the usually predictable No Idea crew. (NO IDEA; noidearecords.com) Jordan Rogowski