Slight Return - You Are Not Our Demographic
(Matlock)
I wanted so much for this to be great. I really, really did. Everything about the record pointed at it being great. Cool title, awesome artwork, good song titles ("A Provincial Lion," "Math Without Tears"), and fairly clever lyrics. But it’s not, and that hurts more than you can ever imagine, ever!
First of all, it’s math-emo, which doesn’t lend itself very well to either genre. The opening song, "A City Skyline," sounds somewhere in between the spikiness of June of 44 and the happy-go-lucky pop of the Get Up Kids. Luckily, the second track is much better. “A Provincial Lion” has Eddie Vedder inspired vocals (more than you could imagine: the two guys sound identical), great lyrics, and a very Slint-ish dynamic. Quite enjoyable.
The rest of the album follows at this pace. There’s no questioning that these guys enjoy what they do; the music is fun, not too pretentious, and, because of its use of major chords, easier to listen to. It’ll likely be enjoyed by pop-punk kids wanting to get into something more "experimental," but not yet ready for the assault of bands like Drive Like Jehu, Polvo, or the aforementioned June of 44. Personally, I find about half of the songs to be enjoyable. Good effort! I’m looking forward to hearing what you have in store for us in the future.
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