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The Halfnelsons: Basement Rock EP
[self-released]

So how could I not like this band? They share my name, or at least half of it. What makes the name really work is the fact that half the band has the last name of Nelson and yes, they are brothers. Like a certain 80s rock band of brothers with the last name Nelson (somehow the children of Ricky Nelson), this set of Nelson brothers chose to use Nelson in their band name. Even though they have humbled themselves to being just the Halfnelsons, they bring twice as much rock (actually more then twice the amount, but it works better with the half analogy). By the way, in case you where curious, none of them have ever professionally wrestled.

The Basement Rock EP consists of four rocked out numbers somewhere trapped in grunge rock, alt rock and modern rock. The recordings sound good, but not too good. The performances are tight, but not too tight. Basically, the Halfnelsons bring to the table a solid little indie rock EP worthy of any rock fans listen. While nothing flies off the disc as over-spectacular, I definitely have no problem listening to the songs two or three times before I switch to the next disc. There are a lot of breaks, riff changes, loose guitars and almost off-key vocals (think Neil Young or Daniel Johnston) that somehow always find their place in the music.

My favorite track is probably Telepathetic. With tons of fun changes and straining vocals, it probably best displays the bands sense of humor: Telepathetic on the afternoon shift/ Climbing on the bar and dancing for tips/ Full on lips and full on tits/ Just cant help thinking that theres something that you missed. The song is full of very Neil Young-esqe riffs, snotty lyrics and the sound of a band having a good time. I have a feeling The Halfnelsons best move is yet to come.

Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album.

The Halfnelsons Official Website

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