America is Waiting "In the Lines" CD
[Die Die Diemond]
I had no clue what to expect from this one and it's actually competently delivered quirky indie rock type stuff that takes that really angular slant to things with a lot of semi distorted guitars, half sung/half yelled vocals, and jangly sort of discordant riffing (think The Jesus Lizard and the like). As with a lot of this stuff the percussion and the basslines do a lot of the legwork, while guitars are a bit looser and often venture off into noisier textures, but these guys are way fucking better than most. The playing is really tight and controlled, so nothing sounds too messy or anything like that, and they get sort of heavy in the rhythmic drive without employing significant distortion or anything. The panning of the guitar parts in "The Virus is Airborne" is a bit more obvious, and the almost whispered vocals create a much more laidback (but not too melodic) vibe, and it never really picks up in volume, so it ends up being a little darker as well. Nice. The vocals get a lot more aggressive in "Cut You", and that's actually a damn fine touch, granted musically I'm not as fond of this piece. "Guilty as Charged" brings it back down with a much more openly calm and melodic setting, complete with some droning guitar parts, whispered vocals, and a lot of soft areas where the rhythm section drops out. Absolutely awesome. Closer "Intravenous Genius" is the most abrasive and chaotic of the tracks, also introducing more fully shouted vocals and stretching on for eight minutes with drawn out instrumental passages (and a worthless ending of pure noise, but whatever). The recording works out great. The drums sound pretty resonant, the bass is thick and ever so slightly fuzzy at the fringe, the vocals are dry and a tad distant (in a good way), and the guitars are amply clear without having any real sort of irritating bite to 'em. It's all been handled quite nicely, which further accents the tactfulness of their overall presentation here. No lyrics are included but I do thoroughly enjoy the layout. Everything is clean and professional with an interesting collage of photography, illustration, etc. I'm not sure how I'd describe it but it's definitely interesting and suggestive of what I assume are some of the broader lyrical messages. I like this. I'm not really into this style very often, but I can appreciate it when it's done right, and I rarely hear it done this well. If you're into this style this is certainly worth a listen. (7/10)
Running time - 25:51, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: The Virus is Airborne, Guilty as Charged]
Die Die Diemond Records - http://www.diediediemond.com

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