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Dropzines:
Between Sheets and Walls
I was surprised by this record, very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a pop-punky type outfit and on the first listen, thats all I heard. However, today I sat down with it, threw on some clunky old headphones and stepped back into it. A new album was placed before me; this album had great production and very catchy hooks. So catchy and well done, that I could not help but wonder why I have not heard of these guys before. This is an incredibly smart, well-constructed album, and a great deal of time went into it. Shawn Stabley, Michael Brenneman and Jason Kline are three wonderful musicians, and each carries his own weight throughout each track. Between Sheets and Walls gathers elements of raw, stripped down rock n roll, 60s garage pop, and a bit of southern swagger. The vocals are sweet and throaty with backup harmonies laid down by the drummer. Taking a slight turn, the track At the Party is a sarcastic dive into British psychedelia complete with Syd Barrett style guitar work. The guitar work on the album is wonderful; its simple at times but still innovative and interesting. Sometimes Stabley comes in with power chord stomp progressions, and then hell retreat back to a southern rhythm and blues style. Right underneath the rhythm, a slide guitar line will creep through or a harmonica drawl will find its way around the song. The bass lines are punchy and all over the fret board, but theyre right in time and tune with the guitar, always there to catch it or back it up. Klines drumming is pretty intense as well, as his energy and explosiveness is stretched out so well through each track. Each musician adds his own interesting parts to every track, and theyre all firing off at the same time. What Will My Mary Say? is another standout track on the album where the band experiments more fully with the 60s garage pop sound, even throwing in a clubbed drum feel. This is really decent power trio rock n roll with a great kick. The only complaint I might want to make would be that the lyrics, in some places, could be a tad better; but the ridiculous hooks make up for anything there. This is a solid band with a very full sound, and Im impressed.
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