Stereo Six: Reconciler Recognize Six of Their All-Time Favourite Records

On their new album, Art For Our Sake, you will find Reconciler completely locked in. Locked in as musicians, as a musical collective, and on their mission to produce legitimately standout hardcore. Their sophomore full-length was released on February 2nd via Smartpunk Records. The Atlanta-based band felt honed in on what they wanted to do in recording this record. It collectively represents everything they originally strived to be as a band. The album is their way of saying, “We’re back.”

It has been quite a while since the release of Reconciler’s debut LP, Set Us Free, in early 2019. Things proceeded as well as they could have throughout that year. Then, the global pandemic arrived and derailed their extensive global touring plans. It was about a year and a half before the band could play a proper show again. They took the downtime as an opportunity to rebuild and refine their focus. Those efforts were all streamlined towards Art For Our Sake and the effort and passion that went into making the album can be heard through each note.

Joining us today for our latest Stereo Six are the members of Reconciler. Each band member chose an album or two that had a great influence on them in the recording of this album.

“We decided to tackle this idea as a band. Derron Nuhfer, Jay Howell, and Joseph Lazzari each chose two records that were influential to us in making our new record, Art For Our Sake. You’d have to cast a pretty wide net to collect all of our influences, so we figured a ‘curve ball’ album would just present itself naturally. Which one is it?”

1. Jeff Rosenstock – Worry (2016, SideOneDummy)

Howell: “This is just one of my all-time favourites in general so regardless of what I’m playing it’s going to have some influence. Really great energy and pretty dynamic and just awe-some drums courtesy of Kevin Higuchi. Everything he’s playing compliments the song, whether the drum part needs to be intense and fast or needs to hang in the background more subdued for a bit he absolutely nails it. It definitely gave me ideas for what I wanted to do for Art For Our Sake.”

2. Japandroids – Celebration Rock (2012, Polyvinyl)

Howell: “I’m a big fan of this album, and I’m sure, like a lot of people, when I found out that there are only two people in this band, I was shocked. So I kind of wanted that reaction when people hear Art For Our Sake, granted we have three members in the band, but the goal is for the sound to be big, loud, and powerful. So when I was coming up with my parts for the songs I wanted the drums to be driving and taking up lots of space but still leaving room for everything else. I listened back to Celebration Rock for some inspiration, and I think it helped!”

Artwork for the albums Reconciler lists in this Stereo Six

3. Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger (1975, Columbia)

Lazzari: “There is no irony here. I truly believe this is one of the best records ever made. Period. Red Headed Stranger was the first record Willie made after signing a new record deal that gave him complete creative control over the creation of his subsequent albums. As a result, this one didn’t get the usual Nashville sound treatment incorporating a huge band and a string section. The vast majority of this album consists of one guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. Reconciler could perform the whole thing if we had a better singer and guitar player. The label hated it because it was different. It went platinum a zillion times over because it’s as brilliant as it is unconventional. And wouldn’t you know it? The entire framework of punk rock was hiding in the bones of this thing.

“The most inspiring part of this record for me, concerning the writing and arrangement of Art For Our Sake, is the flow of time within the narrative. Time is not a straight line here, nor is it a perfect circle. It flows like a ribbon that moves forward and then folds back on itself again and again before moving forward once more. We revisit songs we’ve already heard but quickly realize the arrangements and lyrics are different this time. We’re moving forward into the future, taking in the present, and remembering the past all at once. The album ends almost where it begins, with the protagonist content and presumably married to a wife he hasn’t killed in cold blood yet.”

Reconciler ‘Art For Our Sake’ album artwork

4. Jawbreaker – Dear You (1995, DGC Records)

Lazzari: “I think it’s widely accepted now that Dear You is an incredible record from start to finish and its only real flaw was being ahead of its time. I can’t image what it must have been like for the band to swing for the fences, blast an epic homer, and then get booed for it. I feel defeated just thinking about it, but I think the controversial reception of this record stands as an important marker for artists. Recently, I turned 40, and even though I’ve had some incredible opportunities and experiences as an artist and musician, I’ve had very little critical acclaim or commercial success. You’d have to dig pretty deep to even find my name attached to my biggest achievements. I look at Dear You and, I think that if I just keep making the work that I believe in, despite all of it, maybe someday it will matter, and maybe I’ll even be lucky enough to see it happen.

“When it comes to writing, recording, and performing in Reconciler, Jawbreaker is the trio that I look up to most. Our band name has the same amount of letters and our logo is even a bit of an homage to theirs. I look to the Jawbreaker catalogue to understand how to make my single guitar and my voice as dynamic as possible. When I’m writing lyrics, I tend to prioritize being direct and specific over rhyme scheme, structure, and waxing poetic. Blake (Schwarzenbach) has this uncanny ability to turn common phrases, invert their meanings based on context, and assemble brilliant poetry that takes you to oddly specific places while leaving a lot of the details up for interpretation. His writing has inspired me to loosen the reigns a bit and let the stream of consciousness flow a little more.

“I’ve found that it takes me places I didn’t know I could go to and that it seems to produce more genuine results. Jawbreaker has the ability to lock in razor-tight with each other and I feel like that should be the ultimate goal of a trio. When we play live, and I can get the down strokes of my guitar to sit almost perfectly in time with Jay’s snare and floor tom and the thunder of Derron’s bass line, there are these fleeting moments where the three of us morph into a fucking panzer tank. When that happens, I feel like my feet aren’t even touching the ground.”

5. The Who – Live At Leeds (1970, Decca)

Derron Nuhfer: “To me, this album has it all and happens to be one of my desert island records. It’s a constant reminder to me to never stop playing music, to keep crafting songs that please you and don’t cater to what the public might think they want at that moment, and to always surround yourself with like-minded people who share the same goals. Not to mention, to have tons of fun while doing all of that other ‘serious’ stuff.

“This has solid song choices, some being pop/radio hits for them and while others were their artistic endeavours, and throw in some covers to keep it fun.

“This performance is executed by top-notch musicians who have perfectly honed their craft. Pete (Townshend) may only have one fuzz pedal in his rig, but he somehow creates countless sound textures via his playing technique, knowing how his gear reacts, and fully utilizing the volume knob on his guitar. Chef’s kiss!

“Three and four-part vocal harmonies live?! Oh, hell yeah!

“As much as I love the original release, I now fully favour the Deluxe Edition as it is not limited to the playtime of a vinyl release from back in its day. One moment you’ll be enjoying a musical ecstasy. The next, you are laughing your ass off with their in-between song banter. Priceless!”

6. Knapsack – Day Three of My New Life (1997, Alias)

Derron Nuhfer: “This one hits me in a special place. At the time I discovered it, I was playing baritone sax in Less Than Jake. For a mental break from all of that, I basically learned how to play guitar in the back of the bus while playing along to this record. When I was figuring out the next phase of my musical life, this was the sound I wanted my next band, Gunmoll, to sound like. Luckily for everyone, things took a twist for the better. I ended up on bass, and ever since, I’ve been extremely lucky to be in bands with much more skilled guitarists than myself. However, when I do write songs, it’s usually on guitar and my bandmates probably think they sound like rip-offs or outtakes from a Knapsack song!

“This record utilizes some killer dynamics, has cool songwriting tricks that I still execute to this day, heartfelt emo/power ballads, and (producer) Mark Trombino uses some simple, relatable production on it that somehow makes it sound huge. Yet it still has tons of ‘ear-candy’ going on where you are constantly hearing new elements, like a guitar over-dub, a tambourine or maybe even sleigh bells, every time you listen to it.”