Can You See the Sunset? » synth rock

Ben Davis & The Jetts – Charge It Up

Eric — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:01:41 +0000

Admittedly, this is the first “solo” offering I’ve heard from Ben Davis (formerly of bands like Milemarker and Sleepytime Trio) so I can’t really compare it to his other material but as a big fan of Milemarker, I at least have a frame of reference. Charge It Up (Davis’ third full length) is full of much of the urgency and post-punk excitement that made Milemarker so great. Charge It Up isn’t nearly as dark, but still winds up and delivers gut punches with jagged guitars, angular song structures, and constantly buzzing keyboards. There’s some atmospheric din but (mainly) Ben Davis & The Jetts focus on tightly wound compositions that spastically shift to and fro. Recommended for fans of Milemarker, The Dismemberment Plan, Pinback, etc…, Charge It Up is out now on Lovitt Records.

MP3:
Ben Davis - I Want U To Want 2

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Barrel Roll – It’s A Gold Mine Down There

Eric — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:10:37 +0000

I don’t know much about the band and despite telling me they’re from Greenville, IL (where the fuck is Greenville?), their Myspace page doesn’t say much. On their album, It’s A Gold Mine Down There, however, Barrel Roll plays a really weird combination of fast southern California pop punk, east coast hardcore, and crazy synthesizer playing that totally distracts the listener from everything else. This definitely doesn’t sound Midwestern in the least. The synths are so annoying and crazy they make the synth parts in Reggie & The Full Effect songs seem tame and almost unnoticeable by comparison. It sounds like The Starting Line, NOFX, and Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer fighting to the death in a battle royale where all the bass was removed. Add some some whiny nu-emo tendencies (think Tom from Blink 182/A&A) and you’re good to go here. It’s A Gold Mine Down There isn’t great but it’s not terrible either. Barrel Roll is just another band that I happened to come across and thought you might be interested in hearing. The band is unsigned but there’s a link to download It’s A Gold Mine Down There on their Myspace blog.

MP3:
Barrel Roll - Dude Party
Barrel Roll - Pop Stars

Matt & Kim – Grand

Eric — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:54:32 +0000

One of the funnest (is funnest even a legit word?) albums I’ve heard all year is Grand from the New York keys-n-drum duo Matt & Kim. It’s darn near perfect Summertime music if you ask me. The songs on Grand feature dancy urban indie-pop beats that aren’t techno and aren’t electronic but damn do the beats that just make you wanna move. Their songs are bouncy and hella catchy with melodic synths galore. Probably my favorite element of Matt & Kim is the airy minimalism and lack of density that being a duo gives (or rather it’s what they leave out of) their songs. They aren’t hiding or obscuring anything and just leave everything right out in the open. It’s 95 degrees in the Chicago suburbs today (I wrote this yesterday and it was actually a bit cooler today).

MP3 | Matt & Kim – Daylight Grand
MP3 | Matt & Kim – Lessons Learned Grand

Maximo Park vs. Cajun Dance Party

Eric — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:36:57 +0000

I liked both of Maximo Park’s previous albums so I was quite surprised to find their new one, Quicken The Heart, to be rather boring and unexciting. It isn’t terribly bad but it just falls flat when compared to the band’s vibrant and endearing earlier work. Mainly (I think) it’s just that the songs aren’t as catchy and immediately rewarding as those on A Certain Trigger and Our Earthly Pleasures. I just don’t love anything on the new album. It’s all really quite forgettable. So, if you feel that way about Quicken The Heart as well, don’t feel too bad.

Instead of pouting, pick up a copy of Cajun Dance Party’s debut full-length The Colourful Life. It’s a record that finds the London based band of teenagers sounding like a hybrid of The Cure, Maximo Park, and (maybe a little) like Ben Lee’s more recent stuff. It is enjoyable and Ultra melodic and (at times) really catchy with thick British vocals. It isn’t Cajun music in the least and really doesn’t invoke thoughts of any sort of dance party, but The Colourful Life is quite enjoyable and fills the void left by the disappointment that is Quicken The Heart.

MP3 | Maximo Park – The Kids Are Sick Again Quicken The Heart

MP3 | Cajun Dance Party – Colourful Life The Colourful Life
MP3 | Cajun Dance Party – No Joanna The Colourful Life