Damnit... so much potential wasted due to totally sloppy performances. I assume it's supposed to come off as "intentionally loose", but it really just sounds like crap - both due to the dry rawness of portions of the recording, and the actual musicianship itself. I actually like the damn songwriting, which is what makes the irritation of the playing even more frustrating. I don't really know what you'd call this. It's definitely got that indie thing going on, with hints of emo, and vague strands that could be considered "screamo", etc. The core of the songs revolve around throaty vocals that are right in between singing and yelling, at times leaning more towards one side than the other. And the music is an even mix of clean and distorted guitars with a pretty laidback and somber sort of edge going on - lots of dual guitar interaction, a strong focus on rhythm, etc. At times it gets ever so slightly heavy, but it's pretty calm for the most part. It's not smooth though, and that's where I start to get bothered. I like that the guitars are hard panned and you can really hear how the different lines come together, but the recording is too choppy and the playing is all jangly and loose in a way that really disrupts the listen. I've never said this before, but the way the recording and sound quality of the guitars comes across it really sounds like they're either using crappy instruments or old strings or something. There's just a real lack of character to the sound. The bass lacks definition, but the drums and vocals sound pretty good to me. They need to remix everything so that the right level of clarity affects every element, but a smoother flowing performance and more tonality to those guitars is essential. The layout is pretty minimal and uses only shades of light brown and pink, with each page of the booklet having very cleanly and interestingly arranged lyrics in the center. The lyrics are very strange, quite long and story like, without using choruses or repeating verses or anything. "These apologies groom the fa?ade chiming into summers anew. Elsewhere vermin march in circus attire performing tasks to lube the mold. Porch light reaching forthright to the sound of the reverberous night..." Portions of the lyrics to "The Drawbridge Scene" were even borrowed from "Tom's Diner" by Susanne Vega. I must say, this isn't bad. I would probably love this were the recording and playing more towards my personal tastes. The songwriting is very nice, I like the vocals, etc. It's just so strange. I mean, they're not poor musicians, the recording's really pretty good, but something about it is still really off the mark - and that has a very noticeable effect on the way these songs come across. I'd love to hear this band under more suitable conditions, but this just isn't there yet. Close, though. Close...
[Exotic Fever]
Running time - 29:42, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Walt's Banner, A Quivering Haven]
Exotic Fever Records - http://www.exoticfever.com
