Lebatol - Rate EP
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Quick, what song am I describing: An overdriven guitar plays a fast rhythm and then a higher-pitch, clearer-sound guitar comes in and plays the main melody against it. The drum fills in, and then finally the singer starts singing a low-key anthem. No, not "Relative Ways" by Trail of Dead, you asshole. They were just the last band to play something like that on the Letterman show. I was thinking of "Teenage Riot" by the Sonic Youth. Anyway, Lebatol give us another version of "Teenage Riot" but they call it "Rate." For some reason I'm not as offended by Lebatol's offering as Trail of Dead's, perhaps because they sound more like an old Touch and Go band, a reference that fits well with the second song on this three-song EP, "Utica." Arcwelder is the main reference point, i.e., a harder, crunchier version of Husker Du-esque pop-punk, however the vocalist sounds somewhat like P.W. Long of Mule in how any emotion turns into a effectively gritty and strained shout. While Touch and Go is currently a little short on the 90s-style Touch and Go bands, this type of sound is uninspired but not entirely unwelcome. There are a few cute twists, like the perfectly in-step "Woo-hoo" shouted during the bridge. Final song "Mars Hill" is your standard nine-minute post-rock instrumental. The soft part sounds more like the Shipping News, and the loud part sounds more like Mogwai. If you were a total Touch and Go diehard during the 90s, this EP may bring back a few fond memories, however it's main benefit may be convincing you to pull out Pull again.
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