Ethel Meserve - Spelling the Names
(Tree)
Ethel Merserve is no longer; they have disbanded. This is not such a bad
thing. Not because they were the worst band ever or anything, but because
their time has come and gone. That was then, this is now, and so
forth. If you were a fan of Ethel Meserve, perhaps this posthumous
collection of odds and ends will be of interest to you, as a more stable
digital archive of now unavailable releases or 7"s with worn out
grooves. If you have not heard Ethel Meserve before, well, it seems
unlikely that their dated emo stylings will create a larger fan base
post-demise. If you have always hated Ethel Meserve, then now is the time
to lay those bad feelings to rest and move on with your life for hell's
sake!
These songs were all recorded during an 18-month period spanning 1995 and
1996. They are comprised of jaunty distorted guitar riffery--steady enough
to rock, off kilter enough to not be obvious--an appropriately
enthusiastic rhythm section, and a horrible, horrible singer. I mean,
this guy is sub-Tim Kinsella. He's like Tim's not-as-cool little brother
who also has a rock band with a funny, woman's name. Maybe if it were
still 1996, this stuff would sound better. But, as it is now the 21st
century, it sounds like your basic, everyday, run-of-the-mill emo. And,
man, even good emo can be hard to take.
The Ethel Meserve may be one of those bands who you saw a hundred times
and they always kicked you right in the ass. Perhaps you wore your Ethel
Meserve t-shirt until it dissolved because it was so damned cool. One of
those bands whose records you have not listened to in a long, long time
and when, one day, you run across them, dust them off, and put them on,
you suddenly know why.
|
