In the underground corners of early-2000s Chicago, Tekulvi was never the loudest name, but they may have been one of those bands that most accurately represented the local scene. Their 2002 EP, In Recognition of Your Significant Accomplishments, originally released through Divot Records, is a more than adequate showcase of controlled dissonance, a precise explosion of post-hardcore, post-rock, and math-infused punk that mirrored the urban unrest and emotional volatility of its time. Now, with a reissue via Expert Work Records, Tekulvi’s work reemerges, not as a mere artifact of the past, but as a statement of continued relevance, ferocious, delicate, and strangely elegant. To understand the gravity of this reissue, one must first understand the band’s core. Tekulvi is not a group that ever catered to trend or comfort. Formed in 1997 by Chris Almodovar, Greg Sharp, and Brian Harper, with later contributions from Phil Nauman and Josh Browning, the group made music that demanded utmost attention. Their songs did not offer hooks, but it challenged listeners to keep attention to everything this band wanted to express. And yet, within the jagged tempos and conflicting time signatures lived something deeply human, soulful, and real.
The remastered EP still carries the weight of that original energy, but now with even more sonic and emotional clarity. Expert Work’s reissue does not polish away the imperfections. Instead, it frames them, bringing out the textures that made Tekulvi such an incredible band from the start. The music here is labyrinthine yet lean. Riffs spiral, contract, and reemerge, always with a sense of architectural intent. The basslines, heavy and sculpted, support and challenge guitars at the same time. Sharp’s drumming is a muscular control marvel. Every snare hit and cymbal crash feels like an intentional statement. There’s no room for waste, no sense of indulgence. Tekulvi functions like a machine designed by poets, metallic, mathematical, and wildly emotive. Tekulvi’s music is tight and dissonant, but it isn’t cold. There’s warmth beneath the noise and thought beneath the chaos. Every song seems to hold two opposing truths, structure and collapse, rage and reflection. Few bands have ever walked that line so convincingly. It’s a sound rooted in resistance, against apathy, conformity, and easy answers. The reissue also introduces previously unreleased material, offering a richer picture of Tekulvi’s sonic ecosystem. These additions do not feel like b-sides and additional bonuses at all. They feel essential. They complete the puzzle, allowing us to hear their full emotional and compositional arc. Tekulvi is not just revisiting old ground, but expanding it.
And then there is the lyrical core. Almodovar’s words are always precisely and intentionally placed and add an introspective weight to the technical haste. He doesn’t shout to be heard. He speaks in jagged fragments that feel lived-in, torn from experience rather than constructed in a studio. His voice blends into the instrumental palette, another layer of texture rather than a separate entity. These vocal maneuvers arrive as observations, raw, tentative, and deeply personal. There’s an ironic symmetry in the title of this material, “In Recognition of Your Significant Accomplishments.” It sounds like something etched on a plaque or read at a retirement party. And yet, nothing about this music is ceremonial. Tekulvi earned no mainstream awards, saw little radio play, and faded too soon into the dusty corners of DIY lore. But their accomplishments, as this reissue proves, are indeed significant. They pushed boundaries when it wasn’t fashionable. They fused genres with impressive accuracy. Tekulvi’s work exists in the tension between noise and silence, between complexity and susceptibility. Listening to this reissue is like walking through an abandoned building filled with old arguments, forgotten achievements, and whispers of something sacred. It’s a record that demands close attention, reprised listens, and emotional availability. Each track feels uniquely engineered, yet there’s a through-line, a skeletal spine that holds everything together. It’s a study in contrasts, sharp edges and soft voices, aggressive instrumentation and restrained vocal delivery, chaos and composition. It sounds like everything is falling apart, but it never actually does.
It’s music with no agenda other than to be honest. That honesty, connected with an outstanding grasp of musical form, makes In Recognition of Your Significant Accomplishments feel like a document of artistic integrity that never had to compromise to find its audience. This reissue isn’t a trip down memory lane, but a reminder that great art doesn’t age, so you should immediately head to Expert Work Records and pre-order this post-hardcore gem on vinyl.
Thoughts Words Action 