Stop It!! "The Enhanced Demo" CD
[Waking]
This disc contains the band's 2001 demo as well as some video footage, and like their "Self Made Maps" record this material is what I'd call frantic and angular indie rock with a lot aggression and harshness, so it's a little more involved and atypical than most of what's out there without shunning some common elements of this particular approach. I'd definitely call this work a little more in your face than the full-length, with more of an emphasis on quirky changes and screaming, only mildly hinting at singing and tending to let the guitars get noisier and more biting while the rhythm section holds things in place. Make no mistake though, the drumming is fucking awesome and drops wild fills all over the place, and the basslines don't sit too still either. All of the song titles are "borrowed" from more well known tunes, which is amusing, though not particularly applying to the actual content in any obvious manner. "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" opens with feedback and slower melodic notes before unexpectedly launching into a cavalcade of caustic layering that barely remains intact; and "When a Man Loves a Woman (Version Bolton)" is a brief instrumental with a jazzy sort of sound happening, complete with clean guitars and faint horns over distant percussion resonating in the distance - leading into the somewhat lighter "New Direction", where the screaming vocals handle most of the truly aggressive facets of the piece. "Cleveland Rocks!" closes with some harmonics and more spacious elements that let things ring through more, thus standing out a lot and making for an excellent track that carries more noticeable force to end things off. The production is dry and somewhat rough, but it sounds good and makes complete sense for this particular style. The mix is very cohesive and you can hear all of the instrumentation despite its somewhat chaotic nature, and there are no gaps at all since everything is quite warm and natural. I wouldn't change anything, as it's about as effective and fitting as you can get for a rough recording aesthetic. As with their other work the packaging is fucking phenomenal on this thing. The disc comes in a matte gatefold chipboard sleeve screenprinted in two colors with a matte booklet inside designed in the band's usual collaged style with tons of handwritten text. Damn nice. The lyrics combine personal reflection with commentary on some of the faults of society at large, and there are definitely some nice passages: "If only you had the courage to stay in bed, and contemplate the many ways you can dull the blade of the sword you'll never learn to live by..." The video includes 20 minutes of random tour footage, including the band's van getting towed (twice), plenty of karaoke madness, driving scenery (among which is Twede's Café, where "Twin Peaks" was filmed), etc. It's not the most entertaining thing in the world, but it has its moments, and if you ask me it's far better than the usual few minutes of generic live footage you'll find on most band's CD's. Stop It!! is really quite good, and I think they're a little underrated in the grand scheme of things. I'm very much looking forward to hearing more of their work in the future, as I expect big things. (7/10)
Running time - 21:33, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: When a Man Loves a Woman (Version Bolton), Rainbow Connection, Cleveland Rocks!]
Waking Records - http://www.wakingrecords.com

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