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BANDS: Punk
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Knox Overstreet: Self-Titled EP
This week's episode features Knox Overstreet. To be quite honest, I don't know much about these guys, and that is partially my fault. I lost the liner notes to the CD (sorry, in my old age I can't keep up with things). But when I look for them on the internet, I can't find much information, save some cool anime pictures that represent the band members. With that said, let the review begin. "Out of the Van," the first song on this 4-song EP, is pretty rockin'. It sounds kinda Strokesey/ garagey/ old school rocky. I really like the singers voice except for the way he says "you." I can't explain it exactly, but it sounds like hes saying "yaou," which is kind of annoying. The lyrics are really cool and fit with the music perfectly. Their drummer (Mike P., a ladies man), keeps the beats pretty interesting. This first song just has a really cool flow. It makes me think about driving around in an old, beat-up car for some reason. The next song, "Shake That Tree," doesn't disappoint either and reminded me of the Smashing Pumpkins. Again, the lyrics just seem to fit the music perfectly. At this point on the EP, my only complaint is the recording. It isn't bad or anything, but it's just a tad stuffy. Its difficult to hear individual parts, but that doesn't detract too much from the overall sound; its just a minor annoyance. The third song (sorry for giving a play-by-play review, but it just seems to be the best thing to do for a 4-track CD), opens up totally sweetly. The bass is playing a driving part, while the guitars bang some chords before coming in all out with a tight riff. I really wish I could understand the lyrics on this song. Its something about fast women (I only know this because it's the name of the track, so I can pick those words out of the song). This song is a lot darker sounding, more upbeat, and more badass than the previous two. My only gripe with this song is one part where the vocals have a weird echo on them that sounds kind of cheesy. The ending rocks, and it isn't predictable: The band builds up, and you expect them to repeat a chorus from earlier at the peak of the buildup, but instead they back off, and repeat the build up, and then end the song. I love it when bands show restraint like that, and don't do the ol' tried and true, obvious things. The last song, "Not at All," is a lot less heavy than the previous one, but it's equally difficult to discern lyrics. At about 1:40 into the song, there's a cool instrumental breakdown of the old-school rock persuasion. Very sweet. In conclusion, this is a good taste of Knox Overstreet, though I wish this EP were just a tad longer. However, as cool as these four songs are, they all sound a little bit the same, so perhaps a full-length at this point in their career would be a little boring until they explore a little and experiment with some new sounds. Good job boys I am a fan. Hope to hear more from you in the future. Rock and Roll.
This album can be purchased at the Knox Overstreet Official Website LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Knox Overstreet page About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
