Various Artists
"3x4" CD
Pox World
Empire
Genre: indie rock, indie pop
Pox World Empire
1512 James St
Durham NC 27707
June 2006 |
3x4... three songs each from four different
Pox World Empire bands (that's twelve in total, mathies): Schooner,
The Sames, Erie Choir, and Summer Set. And
fortunately for us, they're all fine carriers of the North Carolina indie rock torch.
Add to that individually silkscreened covers, and you've got a winner
here. Schooner is the band I'm
familiar with, so we'll start with them. A quartet from Raleigh, these guys play a sort of
dark, lulling pop that is surprisingly enticing. These guys were
runner up for the Indieville best-of list a couple of years ago, so
you know they've got the stuff. Their
three tracks here don't stray much from the formula, though "Birds and
Other Creatures" stretches into folky territory a little - and
with good results.
The Sames have considerably more urgency
in their sound, but retain the darkness shown with Schooner's
work. The outcome? Infectious, moody pop that stays with you. Their
last song, "Seagrove" is slower and a bit more lush, with an uplifting
chorus that reminds me of Mercury Rev in the vocals.
Erie Choir I'm strangely endeared to,
playing guitar-based folky pop music with a really pleasant
sound. The slight Spanish element to "My First Ocean" is a nice
inclusion, though the drum machines of "Impolite" are a bit cheesy.
Overall, though, I'm really pleased with what they've come up with
here.
Summer Set from Wilmington are the last
in each four song rotation here (occupying tracks 4, 8, and 12), and
they contribute laidback, polished pop music that's
tastefully subtle and quite warm. I'd like to see what else they've
come up with.
Overall, 3x4 is a very successful release. Giving you more to go by than a one-track-per-artist
sampler, this lets you get a real taste of what each of these bands
has to offer. In this case, that's a very good thing.
MP3 (from schoonermusic.com):
Schooner: Indian Sunburn
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by
the label,
released 2006] |
