Hmmm... I didn't know what to expect from this Indiana band, but it's definitely built around a rock foundation with some indie/post-hardcore types of influences going on as well. There's a little bit of an early Jawbreaker vibe going on to some degree, but I wouldn't take that comparison too far. The vocals are raspy singing, the rhythm section is pretty straightforward, and the guitars play lightly distorted chord progressions with occasionally more melodic or slightly discordant passages. "When I'm Down on the Ground" has sort of an instrumental chorus going on that definitely displays the most powerful riffing on the CD. "January" is the most upbeat and energetic track herein, and I think I'd like to hear the band go more towards that direction. Most of the songs lack dynamics and come off as a bit boring, they don't really pick up and go anywhere... and that's the biggest setback here. It's just not an engaging listen. The instrumental closer, "It's Called the Fast Lane for a Reason", is pretty damn good though: A little heavier, a little softer, but more cohesive and memorable. The potential is surely there, but they're not taking full advantage of it yet. The production is pretty good for a demo. The mix is solid and even, and nothing particularly bothers me. Of course they could benefit from a slightly more polished sound, but realistically speaking they've done quite well for a self-released CD-R. One thing that I would change would be the guitar tone on the poppier note-based riffs, as it's too choppy in such busier instances, but for the chord progressions and everything else it does fine. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case with a xeroxed cover. The front shows the band name in plain text over a photo of an old car, and the back shows a blurry band photo with lineup documentation, a tracklist, and some contact information. It looks pretty bland, to tell you the truth, but I guess it does what it needs to on a base level. This is an okay introduction to Jim Fix, but I know they can do better than this across the board. Hopefully their resources will allow for as much in the future.
[self-released]
Running time - 25:51, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: When I'm Down on the Ground, January]
Jim Fix - http://www.jimfix.net
