BANDS:

Punk & Ska
80's New Wave/
Post-Punk/
College Bands
90's & Beyond
Virginia, North
Carolina, & DC

The Seldon Plan: Making Circles
[self-released]

The Seldon Plan is a Baltimore, Maryland band that has can mix up a tune with heavy guitars and a few hooks and melodies.  Their sound is hard to classify, because the singer has a very straightforward pop inflection in his tone, which pretty much shoots dead any possibly hinted aggression by the music.  In some ways this is good, because it keeps them safe from the category of your typical whining alterna-band.  The poppiness does confuse me a bit when Im searching for a stylistic objective, but now it seems like Im starting to overthink this band, which isnt getting either of us anywhere.  A track like Your Unmuddied Pasts reminds me of Elliot Smith, so lets leave it at that.  He was a bit tough to classify as a pop artist, and The Seldon Plan do sound quite a bit like him

Theres an interesting sample that opens up the song Love Again.  It sounds as though it was lifted from some television show, but it adds some nice flavor to the tune.  These guys have a way with hooks, and thats probably why theyve gotten a bit of local radio support at the University of Maryland and what was WHFS 99.1 a little while back.

I really dont know what else to say here, except that this is good music.  The mood isnt too different from a band like The Shins, even if the lyrics arent quite as poignant.  Ill wish them luck as a good band with some cool songs, but I dont see too much in their arsenal yet that will make them stand out in the sea of unsigned talent.  Luckily, they sound like a band that is probably quite happy with the chance to simply get out and play their music for now.

The Seldon Plan Official Website

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

More Album Reviews

About LOTD        Contact/Staff        Advertise        Home

All content  LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved.