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The Suburban Urchins
"No" CD
Self-released
Genres: indie rock, noise-rock
Feb 2 - 8 2004 |
No is indie rock how it should be. Though it's only an
unknown debut album from obscure Knoxville trio The Suburban Urchins, this disc
sees a band at its best and most polished. For fans of noisy,
infectious indie rock - think early 90s Archers of Loaf and Sebadoh
- No could be one of the best albums to come around in
awhile. More than a few of these songs make for serious mixtape
material.
"My Friend the Television" is the album's first song, and
it's a jerkily energetic, carelessly melodic rocker that has the
unusual distinction of staying perfectly listenable throughout its entire
five minute duration. That's quite a feat in these impatient
times. "Prefab," meanwhile, makes great use of the
xylophone, and "The Only Way to Spell Awesome" introduces a
slight country tinge. "Orient Express" is another
wonderful slice of melodic guitar pop, and "Oh Jesus
---------" offers a bit of dark, drastic rock.
That isn't to say all of these songs are great. "Infiniteen"
is a bit bland and unoriginal, though it's thankfully quite short,
whereas "The Plague" is a bit long, given its limited pool
of melodies.
The Suburban Urchins' No is beginning to restore my
faith in obscure local indie rock bands. Though there's a lot of
crap out there, every once in awhile you'll find something worth
holding onto. My advice to the band? Keep on playing.
86%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 9 tracks, distributed by the
band, released 2003] |
