Labels: Jade Tree Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Theres a lump of music that goes by the tag “Emo”. What actual criteria means that a band is labelled as this, I have little idea, but I read that the Promise Ring do emo, so hopefully I now have a slightly clearer idea. I could be badly wrong, in which case I am about to increase my “looks stupid” rating to a new all time high, but emo bands generally sing with a bit of feeling about stuff in their life. If I am badly wrong, please e-mail me and put me straight, so that I can look clever next time.
Even with that emo tag, it’d be pretty hard to describe the Promise Ring. There is a nice mix on this album of horrifically infectious poppy rock songs, and some quieter, more restrained tracks. “Nothing Feels Good” opens up with “Is This Thing On”, with some rather amusing lyrics about the apparently backward Pennsylvania town of Delaware. Its got a lot of repetition in it (tune & words) as have a number of the songs on this album, but the poppy side of the band combines so well with the belting guitars to really put you in right frame of mind from the off.
There is some stuff on here that if for some reason the Promise Ring managed to get radio play then it could have had huge single potential. “A Broken Tenor” has some incredibly toe-tapping moments, and “Pink Chimneys” is also superb. My personal favourite is “B is for Bethlehem”, which has a truly spectacular chorus. Awesome.
When they aren’t making your leg move involuntarily, the Ring make a slightly more sophisticated, slower sound. The likes of “Red & Blue Jeans” and “Make Me A Chevy” remind me of a band called Chamberlain, who I have a single by due to a recommendation from Ian many moons ago.
So there you go. Come to think of it, I haven’t really got any other records that sound much like this at all. If you like your rock to be incessantly tuneful and a little indie and pop, then you’ll go a bundle on these guys. I don’t know where on earth you’d start if you wanted to find anything similar, but this is a start. Check it out.