 Appomattox
"A O" CD
Triple Down
Records
Genre: indie rock, noise-rock
Brooklyn, NY
Jan 7, 2009 |
All things considered, Appomattox isn't a
breathtakingly original or mind-blowing indie rock band. They are
three guys - a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist/singer - and they
favour angular guitars and low-effort vocals. But it isn't the stock
that makes the soup. Beyond the walls of predictable feedback and
slack attitude lies a set of impressively solid songs. Given a few
listens, A O unveils itself as a propulsive and infectious record, a
gritty noise-rock scorcher that recalls past work by No Knife
most overtly, but Archers of Loaf and
Atombombpocketknife as well.
Anthemic "Either Way" will go down as one of the album's best songs;
it's a momentous, slick rocker with an intensely catchy chorus and
a
glistening, twilit urgency. Equally colossal are "Again and Again"
with its harmonized ooh-ooh chorus, and charging opener "Money From 10
to 4." Of course, A O isn't perfect -
several tracks lack the melodic
gleam of the record's most memorable moments (for proof, consult "We're Alright" or
"Gotta Run"), while the lyrics play their role but
certainly don't aspire for profundity. However, the band's spasmodic
energy is more or less a constant, and even when these folks aren't on
their game the songs tend to be pretty hum-worthy. Keep an eye on
these guys.
appomattox's myspace
84%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 13 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2008] |
