I got this because I heard a song on an iphone commercial, I guess it happens to all of us eventually. Damn those guys with their ear for hooks!
What can I say, Come Home's catchy, fraught with jangle and bounce and late-Beck fuzz. And actually the next two songs on this EP are similarly promising, featuring hooks, great atmosphere and twisty song structures. Sweet Sigh's is a pleasant meanderer that does a pretty good impression of TV on the Radio on the vocal front, and Rouse it Up is glammy, neon Bloc Party jam.
But then it gets ridiculous. As in, is this a joke? Space Shoes offloads Rage Against the Machine riffage and "UH!!"s, and preposterous lyrics, climaxing with the chorus, shouted repeatedly and with much angst: "We've got to shapeshift! Why the attitude? Lay off my space shoes!" What? Similarly, closer Sci-Fi Bandits sounds like someone took Blitzen Trapper's Sci-Fi Kid and completely ruined it with Flaming Lips style overproduction and sub-Jamiroquai fake funk. Reference combo bonus!
Unfortunately, I'm guessing its not a joke. In retrospect, the clues are all over the first few tracks: these guys are actually trying way too hard to be spacey and weird and relevant and intense, and doing it in a really forced, plastic way. It's a shame, they're hooky and fun in between the dumbs. With any luck they won't be successful: whatever they do next will either be lo-fi and great or even more overproduced and completely unlistenable. One great song, two good songs, two bad songs 2.5/5
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Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteGlad you like Come Home! (and a couple others a lil' bit) Would be happy to send you the EP, just hit us up. Thanks for taking the time to write about it.
peace,
#214Chris
chappomusic[at]gmail[dot]com