Tennis "Pure Evil" 7"
[Watermark]
First things first: Whoa... Watermark Records is still around!? That's pretty cool. Anyway, this four-track EP from this poppy emo/indie rock trio is musically a little reminiscent of Weezer (especially in "Blame Me") with more intricate bass playing, and I think there are some keyboards in there too. The songs are straightforward and catchy with lots of midpaced tempos and solid vocal harmonies (which, as usual, I'd love to hear more of), but the vocals are actually really unique. There's a really unusual twang to the singing, but the guy's voice is deep enough to be a little gruff and not whiny or anything. "Home Appliances" is slower and quieter, and the vocals don't really work out as well in this situation. The singing starts to feel strained, whereas with the all out poppy stuff it really suits this dude's voice. The recording's not bad. It's a little muddy, but I love the bass tone and the fact that the bass playing is really important to the writing. The percussion sounds natural, the vocals aren't too loud, and the guitars are rather smooth and heavy for this type of stuff. The layout's pretty artsy fartsy, but I actually like it. Everything is done in shades of green with a stylized illustration of a girl on the front cover and nothing but text on the back. But all of the text is in one consistent font (which looks tight), and I do love that bright lime green color. The 7" is also on opaque green vinyl. Oddly enough there's no insert or lyrics, just a tiny sticker inside. From the vocals that I can make out the songs are of course personal and deal with relationships. This isn't bad at all, but I wouldn't say it's fully realized either. There's potential, but I think a more forceful vocal performance is really the key. (6/10)
Running time - 10:00 (approximately), Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: Blame Me]
Watermark Records - http://www.watermarkrecords.com

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