I guess you could call this rather abrasive and angular sort of indie rock or something like that. It's mainly made so by a lot of high-end to the recording and a sheen of distortion over the vocals, the other aspects of the music aren't really that abrasive. I like the rhythm section a lot because it tends to lock down and hold things in check, and some of the guitar parts are pretty melodic... it's the manner of playing and the tone that can be somewhat "harsh". Rhythmically and structurally a lot of these songs have musical semblances to Fugazi, especially in tracks like "Bound and Gagged", but the vocals are an entirely different beast. I think that aside from some problems with the recording the vocals are what really keep me from enjoying this material. At times the vocals are fine, especially when they stick with straight screaming or half-speaking or something, and when they try to fit the flow of the compositions. But when they start to get crazier and more over the top it can get irritating. Sure, there are some riffs that I dislike, but for the most part the songwriting can be pretty good (check out the interesting time signatures in "Night Crawler"). I like the way they take care to use melody in a subtle yet powerful manner, and I think they're on the road to using their rugged and coarse elements effectively. The sound is a little raw, and it can be inconsistent, basically in terms of density. At times things are thicker and smoother, while other areas are much thinner and more biting on the high-end (granted there's always a little too much going on with the treble, so even the thicker songs are thinned out on some level). For the most part things need to be warmer and clearer. I imagine that without guitars and vocals the rhythm section would sound perfect, so I'd get rid of some of the distortion on the vocals and work on getting the guitars to be toned down and more in check with the percussion and bass. I think the layout looks pretty damn good, the artwork has an interesting look to it that's much bleaker than one might expect, the text is clean, etc. Inside are some strips of additional artwork with brief snippets of lyrics from each track. The lyrics seem to be personal, but the provided lines are at times strange enough to make you wonder: "I've got eyes for another whore - just like my little girl's mother was..." Not bad. I'm not totally into it, but I can appreciate what they're doing, and I surely cite the potential for finer things.
[Break Even]
Running time - 29:17, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Bound and Gagged, Devious, Night Crawler]
Break Even Records - http://www.breakeven.org
