Engine Down - A Sign of Breath EP
(Day After)
I'm not saying that jokes about kids flunking calculus or losing their chain wallets wouldn't be funny. I'm just saying that you should probably pick your targets with more consideration. Naysayers could easily line Engine Down up in their sights and pull the trigger without hesitation or remorse—they're just another emo band, right? Who cares?
While Engine Down do share a boatload of similarities with various folks in their area of expertise (and even their particular area of the US), there's enough here to dissuade use of any firearms. I'm assuming you're a fan of the Jawbox-meets-Rodan aesthetic. In this case, Engine Down isn't as catchy as the former, and not nearly as schizophrenic as the latter. They don't scream, and they don't whine. They rock, but in a restrained manner; lives aren't dependant on their ability to thrash, but they like to keep the party moving forward (in that herky-jerky DC post-punk fashion we all know and love, in moderation).
The first track ("Second of February") is a preview of their upcoming full-length. The fourth track ("Retone") is a demo version of a song from their previous full-length. The middle two tracks are bonus offerings. "In On the Kill" is probably the best of the four songs. That reference to Fugazi in the song title is probably intentional. Like I said, this has been done before, but Engine Down does it pretty well. Save your bullets for something more important, like getting that basketball off the roof or scaring pedestrians.
|
