steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion


Science Knows No Sin

"Distance Holds Your Mystery..." CD

Science Knows No Records

Genres: indie rock, psych pop

Feb 24 - Mar 2 2003

There has been so much mediocre, nondescript, unoriginal indie rock made lately, so when I received the Science Knows No Sin CD, Distance Holds Your Mystery..., I was pleasantly surprised to find 11 melodic, compelling, mostly upbeat tunes.  Sung by Susan Margolis, the soothing vocals remind the listener of childhood and all of the simple emotions associated with this time.

The first track, "Tidal Wave" is a catchy pop song. It is the closest their music comes to being radio-friendly, yet it still retains some of the band's somewhat offbeat rhythm and minor key harmony that prevents their music from becoming unoriginal and boring. The song is about the feeling of being completely taken over by the beauty of music.

"Leo" is a much more subdued, interesting song. It is more notable for its rhythm than its melody. This is the kind of song that one can be completely hypnotized by, the kind of song that makes you want to dance - not headbang, but really dance.

"Kaleidoscope" is a fun song. It is simple, and could have been written by a child, but SKNS makes it work. Once again they are saved by their style. This is in stark contrast to the well-written "Ken's Rock", with its clever lyrics, and rockability factor (think Fugazi-esque energy).

Distance Holds Your Mystery... is exciting, original, accessible, pleasing, and sexy - if not a little bit too simple. They often rely on their style, as opposed to good writing, to engage the listener.  But in this case, it's not necessarily a bad thing for short-term listening, however don't be too surprised if after hearing it a couple of times it gets monotonous.

78%

Lauren Shay

[Vitals: 11 songs, distributed by Amazon, released 2000]