Labels: Level Plane
Review by: Andy Malcolm
The first time I put this on, I screwed up my face in disappointment. What on earth had happened to Bright Calm Blue? This is supposedly the same band responsible for an emo classic in the song “April” and now they are sounding all sassy and shit like that! I didn’t get it! I couldn’t fathom what was going on. And then I put this record on again. And this time I didn’t bring any silly pre-conceptions with me as I knew the record wasn’t going to be full of Bob Tilton-esque moody emo meanderings. Just 6 straight up rockers that BCB belt out with the utmost of urgency and fun. It kind of makes me think of Rye Coalition or that new wave of uber-sass bands such as the Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower or Transistor Transistor. BCB have their base so firmly planted in the sass ball-park that even Rickey Henderson would struggle to heave it from the ground after his 100th steal of the year.
All six of the songs tread this new territory, finding smart guitar grooves and having multiple guys yelp and squeal and sing in a tight trouser fashion whilst the drummer cracks his kit into submission. The drumming is quite fantastic indeed. Sometimes they have twisty turny keyboard parts that scoot all over the place in a frantic method, and these really fit the music mighty fine. When the band really swings into full motion and things get faster, well, it’s dead ace.
Power and tunes are BCB’s weapon and they wield it well. Don’t expect the band to sound like they did before, and you will probably be quite pleasantly surprised. I bet they kill live.