The Campbells

"Pound on Your Boxes" CDEP

self-released

Genre: indie rock

January 2007

The Campbells play sometimes country-ish indie rock that is pleasant but somewhat unremarkable. I really find myself liking Pound on Your Boxes' first song, "Too Slight for Thin" and its rolling, infectious melody, though the other songs swing around average. For the most part this is solid composition - all the songs are serviceable and melodic. A track like the Dinosaur Jr.-esque "Fell Into the Sun Today" sounds like it could have been a radio mainstream rock hit at some point in the mid-90s. In fact, the Dino Jr. comparison is especially valid on this EP due to the combination of crunchy guitars and singer J Campbell's appropriately J Mascis-like singing style. This is fun stuff, for sure, but next time around J Campbell should try mixing things up a bit.

mp3s (from thecampbellsmusic.com): too slight for thin, sister

70%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 6 tracks, 22:41, distributed by CD Baby, released Jun 27, 2006]