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BANDS: Punk
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The Central
Standards: Refrain
Dear high school pen pal, Remember back in school when we would spend all hours of the night composing letters to each other, just to keep from doing homework and going to sleep, warding off our budding bouts of insomnia? I remember all our notes back and forth would just spiral into what we were listening to at the moment and how bored we were with our home life. Me, with my angst and Nirvana, and you with your awkwardness and Indigo Girls wed find all kinds of nothing to talk about. Im surprised I never really had a huge crush on you. Well, Ive decided to jump back into our old routine of correspondence; Im somewhere lost in Colorado, and lord knows where you are, so your parents will be receiving this. I think Ive found a new band for you, something youre really gonna dig. I remember how you used to get so excited and rave about this new alternative culture that was springing up and rolling across America. R.E.M. rocked your world, and college rock radio was your savior. The band is the Central Standards out of Memphis, Tennessee; the music is straight up acoustic coffee shop rootsy college rock, with a twist of alternative dating back to the mid-90s. Theyve got some twangs, great dueling acoustic guitars and singing, some easy drums and bass to root and backdrop the guitars, and some swelling pop sensibility. The vocals seem a bit backwoodsy Michael Stipe with Indigo Girls stylings, just to give you an idea. Not exactly my style, but I stumbled across their album left behind by someone in a Borders coffee shop, so I thought Id give it a spin. I swear I was just there to pick up the new issue of MaximumRnR. With two driving, creative forces behind the wheel (two teachers I might add), one on the gas and the other steering, always collaborating, always switching, theres room for some interesting growth here. The melodies and guitar lines can be pretty catchy and well thought out, but it hangs out there a little loose and casual sounding at the same time. Its a steady, warm album, but it sounds a bit too familiar. Ive enclosed the album with this letter. Its a bit scratched on track six, but Otis Redding Song, Hard to Fall, and Jay-Cs Broken Radio are worth listening to. Hope to hear from ya soon.
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