Review Summary: Original hardcore from an SST legend.
'80s hardcore got old quick. If you consider the scene breaking with the popularity of Black Flag in 1981, by 1983 with the demise of Minor Threat, you were simply left with a group of teenagers copying each other. Not to mention that at this point you had Greg Ginn's SST basically signing template bands to his label when it came to new hardcore. Basically, the scene was in shambles and if you were looking for intelligent, musically provoking bands you had to look towards groups such as Husker Du and The Replacements, who were taking ideas from hardcore but making the music much more accessible. Saccharine Trust was a diamond in the rough combining a Fear-like rhythm section with the "jazz" influenced playing of later Black Flag. Saccharine Trust wasn't about sticking to a template, they were about advancing it.
"Surviving You Always" is a dizzying experience. Instead of following the typical two-step approach of most of the hardcore in their day, Saccharine Trust was into being varied in the delivery of aggression. While at times it works wonderfully (Opener "The Giver Takes" and "The House, The System, The Concrete"), sometimes it feels like Saccharine Trust is just trying to f
uck with their audience ("Remnants"). Still, the bands' unique approach to making hardcore that is basically the equivalent of "free jazz" to "jazz" is incredibly original, especially for their time. While bands like the Minutemen were certainly incorporating technicality into their music, Saccharine Trust was just on a whole 'nother plain. Like most "free jazz" groups though, Saccharine Trust falls into the pitfall of sounding too similar at times, which really makes "Surviving You Always" suffer. Thankfully, the band is at least somewhat aware of this flaw and throws in songs like the cover of the Doors' "Peace Frog", and "The Cat Cracker" which features some excellent saxophone playing.
All in all, "Surviving You Always" is an excellent example of forward-thinking hardcore. While it is rough around the edges, it will certainly be a fan to any fan of hardcore and probably be a good transistor from a jazz fan into the genre. Saccharine Trust attempted to do something different in a genre where fitting a template is usually the norm, and in so created music that is certainly influential as well as timeless.
