The Pink Spiders "...Are Taking Over!" CD
[self-released]
This is better than I thought it would be. It's basically rocked out indie stuff with a major emphasis on the rock. It's catchy and on the poppy side, but they use a really dry recording that has a rough bite to it (without sounding generic or trendy like all of those "retro" bands out there right now). They use a fair amount of melody without hitting anything close to emo, the singing is pretty damn unique (not high or whiny, just straight singing with a different sort of indescribable sound), and the songwriting has some energy packed into brief formats. Something about "All the Cool Girls Are Dead" reminds me of a poppier Kiss and I fucking love it... if all of the songs were as rockin' as this I'd sign right the fuck up! No shit, it's killer. But then, on the other hand, tracks like "Adios Prizefighter" are incredibly annoying, with generally obnoxious pull-off riffs that get a little sloppier, a longer running time that wears old, etc. "Lovers Into Ghosts" is another catchy rocker, though. It's a tossup. Some of this stuff kicks ass, some of it sucks, and some of it's just so-so. I don't mind the production at all. The percussion sounds awesome, the bass has a good edge to it and plays a large role, the guitars are loud and dirty, the vocals well placed... and everything is obscenely clear. So fuck it. Could be better, but it sounds really damn good. The layout's very well done with a consistent, minimal appearance and clean type across the board. The band is, of course, very "fashionable" - all dressed in jeans, jean jackets, pink t-shirts, sunglasses, and "perfectly messy" jet black hair - and I'm not into that hipster shit, but whatever. The design is definitely well executed. The lyrics are personal and often deal with relationships and shit, so I'm not really into it, but they're a bit more sarcastic in delivery than most. Basically this is a good EP, but nothing great. A three-track 7" with the best songs could've been awesome, but there is some filler here. Weezer-ish closer "Pull the Curtain" is definitely a nice, if not slightly unoriginal, angle to finish it out with, I must say. I'm interested to see where this band goes. I'm not blown away but a few of these songs are damn fine. (6/10)
Running time - 20:08, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: All the Cool Girls Are Dead, Lovers Into Ghosts, Pull the Curtain]
The Pink Spiders - http://www.thepinkspiders.com

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