Labels: excursions into the abyss
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I remember getting a 7″ a while back by these guys and it was a pretty cool screamy emo type thing. Well, obviously they have gotten bored of screaming a lot, like Engine Down and 12 Hour Turn and all those other dudes who started making indie rock once their voices got too fucked up or something. Well, Dead Letter Auction may have stopped yelling but they still make some pretty interesting music. It is melodic and has a fairly spacey flavour to the guitars, which works quite nicely. This really does make me think of that kind of more recent Lovitt Records sound (if there is such a thing) and over the 7 tracks here, Dead Letter Auction have done a decent job. They mix up the instrumentation and it sounds as though there may be some strings on here at times although it is difficult to tell. Adds to the atmosphere mind you. The vocals go from sung to this strange kind of monotone sing-shout, that is a terrible description I know but you’ll have to put up with it.
Overall this is a solid effort that I can enjoy but I doubt I would come back to it too often. If you like things like the newer Engine Down or Bats and Mice you might want to check this out.