Customer Reviews

Wires in the Walls

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is very intense record from start to finish. The record is very diverse but still remains cohesive from dirty rock n' roll of "Drunk Under Electrics" to the 80's new wave inspired "Bottom Of This Town" to a great pop song "Scientist Girl" (which bears some similarity to pinkerton era Weezer). The narrative nature of the lyrics are also very captivating. A band really worth checking out if you are a fan of bands like At The Drive-In, Archers Of Loaf, Yeah Yeah Yeahs etc.

I really dig this records. From front to back, I'm able to find soemthign that really gets me. I love the eclectic mix of song styles. Great live, too!

In this hip hop-dominated world, I'm always interested in finding new music with a style that I like (usually reminiscent of the 1980s). I was surfing channels and found a crude-looking surfing program with post-punk style music blaring in the background. I caught the song title: "Drunk Under Electrics" and immediately looked it up and found these guys! The audio clips were intriguing, so I gave the CD a try.

As the title indicates, this is a very urban-sounding album with lots of references to cities, buildings, streets, wires, fire, and machines (with some sex thrown in as well). Their music reminds me of post-punk, skateboarding, politically-conscious groups but also like 1990s heavy-sounding alternative bands like Jawbox and Sebadoh with a little Cure thrown in the mix. Many of their songs are surprisingly complex and go in many directions.

"The Lotus Eater" (2:49): The opening almost sounds Ska-like, which worried me because I am not a fan of that style of music. Fortunately, it does not continue in that direction and, at the 1:30 mark, kicks in with haphazard Jaxbox-style guitar that really rocks!
"Drunk Under Electrics" (4:03): This track was the reason I purchased this CD and it just flat out rocks! The only problem is, it does not keep up that intensity. It moves into different directions which are good, but the first part of the song is so awesome I wish they just continued with it and made a straight-forward, kicking, post-punk-style rock track. They start doing this slower, transporting stuff and I think it softens the edge way too much. Still a great track, though.
"Swallow Fire" (3:24): Loud, noisy, intense post-punk style rocker.
"The Man Who Saved You're A--" (2:21): Like "The Lotus Eater," it starts almost in a Ska direction. A little more depth to this one than the previous track, but not one of my favorites.
"Scientist Girl" (4:25): Accessible, fun track with addictive guitar riff that grabs you right away. Like "Electrics," it changes direction but not as drastically. The last line is "I'd rather listen to The Clash all night than be with you." I'm not sure who they're dissing, the scientist girl or The Clash.

"The Bottom of This Town" (4:21): Slower track. I could actually hear The Cure doing this. It keeps the same quieter, darker sound throughout.
"Street Sweepers" (4:28): Nice opening guitar for the first minute or so. Becomes a noisy rocker when the vocals kick in and then changes course to a quiet guitar instrumental for the last minute.
"Atmosphere vs. the Dogs of Dawn" (7:35): I really like the guitar sound on this one. It has that quiet, dark, Cure-like sound like "The Bottom of This Town" but bursts into a loud, industrial rocker at times and then brings in a beautiful, transporting guitar riff. There is a lot of depth here and, with this epic number, I think the different directions really work well.
"Cities" (2:42): Sebadoh-sounding with harmonizing vocals; in fact, you'd swear Lou Barlow was on vocals. No drums at first--quiet and slow and then hooks into the loud, hammering opening of the next track.
"Swallow Air" (4:38): More harmonizing vocals and Sebadoh-esque screeching bursts. Then it starts to rock out to a funky bass beat--moving almost to a Ska-like sound. Back to rocking out soon after. A very disjointed song.
"The Ministry of Helicopters" (7:22): Post-punk screaming vocals. More Sebadoh-sounding guitar riffs. I like the dark guitar riff that comes in around the 2:30 point. Around 4:30 it explodes into more beefy Sebadoh sound. I like how this track ends. It is very powerful; but, as a whole, it is a very long track that is difficult to grasp. I prefer "Atmosphere..." The CD includes a booklet with a photo of each band member (I guess it's them. It's three guys, anyway), illustrations, credits, and lyrics.

...Providing, of course, Kerouac were a) alive and b) a three-person indie rock band. Yet listening to this album reminded me of reading "On the Road," with words repeated many times (cities, liquor, drunk, future), a general air of inevitable, somewhat joyful calamity, and, above all else, the satisfaction of being alive, tempered by both pain and the knowledge that forces larger than oneself may bring the whole thing crashing down. Also, like Kerouac, it swings. Unlike a good bit of indie rock, there are real melodies and hooks for you to grab ahold of and go swinging off into the very dark night on. Jason Hendrix' vocals aren't operatic, but he makes sure you understand what all the hollering's about - and when you hear it, you understand why he's so worked up, damnitalltohell. Despite a few tracks that are harsh (but in a good, Modest Mouse meets The Clash sort of way), there are also undeniable gems, the most apparent being the epic "Atmosphere vs. the Dogs of Dawn." 2+2 may =5 to Radiohead, but two Hendrixes and a pair of Jasons equal a great band and a CD that'll stay in your stereo/car/headphones at high volume for a long time for The North Atlantic. They're drunk and screaming on the roof of America, and it's well worth listening to.

First off, if you like your angular, rhythmic post-punk with an extra serving of lyrical weight and honesty, go ahead and buy this record right now.

Jason Hendrix (vocals) is a deserving heir to the throne at various times occupied by Paul Westerberg, Bruce Springsteen and Greg Dulli, with a gift for creating characters at once very literate and yet completely believable. Weaving across the album's eleven tracks, the songs seem to tell the story of desperate characters trapped in some pre-apocalyptic fantasy world. The music, propelled by a flexible rhythm section and Gang of Four-meets-Jawbox guitars, is up to the task of giving these stories grit and muscle.

Favorite Tracks: Drunk under the Electrics, Bottom of this Town, Ministry of Helicopters.

This is the record that will be playing when someone pushes the big red button.

this band is awesome and totally catches you off guard. some awesome post-punk with modest mouse-esque guitar parts. very upbeat, great lyrics. an awesome CD!

In this hip hop-dominated world, I'm always interested in finding new music with a style that I like (usually reminiscent of the 1980s). I was surfing channels and found a crude-looking surfing program with post-punk style music blaring in the background. I caught the song title: "Drunk Under Electrics" and immediately looked it up and found these guys! The audio clips were intriguing, so I gave the CD a try.

As the title indicates, this is a very urban-sounding album with lots of references to cities, buildings, streets, wires, fire, and machines (with some sex thrown in as well). Their music reminds me of post-punk, skateboarding, politically-conscious groups but also like 1990s heavy-sounding alternative bands like Jawbox and Sebadoh with a little Cure thrown in the mix. Many of their songs are surprisingly complex and go in many directions.

"The Lotus Eater" (2:49): The opening almost sounds Ska-like, which worried me because I am not a fan of that style of music. Fortunately, it does not continue in that direction and, at the 1:30 mark, kicks in with haphazard Jaxbox-style guitar that really rocks!
"Drunk Under Electrics" (4:03): This track was the reason I purchased this CD and it just flat out rocks! The only problem is, it does not keep up that intensity. It moves into different directions which are good, but the first part of the song is so awesome I wish they just continued with it and made a straight-forward, kicking, post-punk-style rock track. They start doing this slower, transporting stuff and I think it softens the edge way too much. Still a great track, though.
"Swallow Fire" (3:24): Loud, noisy, intense post-punk style rocker.
"The Man Who Saved You're A--" (2:21): Like "The Lotus Eater," it starts almost in a Ska direction. A little more depth to this one than the previous track, but not one of my favorites.
"Scientist Girl" (4:25): Accessible, fun track with addictive guitar riff that grabs you right away. Like "Electrics," it changes direction but not as drastically. The last line is "I'd rather listen to The Clash all night than be with you." I'm not sure who they're dissing, the scientist girl or The Clash.

"The Bottom of This Town" (4:21): Slower track. I could actually hear The Cure doing this. It keeps the same quieter, darker sound throughout.
"Street Sweepers" (4:28): Nice opening guitar for the first minute or so. Becomes a noisy rocker when the vocals kick in and then changes course to a quiet guitar instrumental for the last minute.
"Atmosphere vs. the Dogs of Dawn" (7:35): I really like the guitar sound on this one. It has that quiet, dark, Cure-like sound like "The Bottom of This Town" but bursts into a loud, industrial rocker at times and then brings in a beautiful, transporting guitar riff. There is a lot of depth here and, with this epic number, I think the different directions really work well.
"Cities" (2:42): Sebadoh-sounding with harmonizing vocals; in fact, you'd swear Lou Barlow was on vocals. No drums at first--quiet and slow and then hooks into the loud, hammering opening of the next track.
"Swallow Air" (4:38): More harmonizing vocals and Sebadoh-esque screeching bursts. Then it starts to rock out to a funky bass beat--moving almost to a Ska-like sound. Back to rocking out soon after. A very disjointed song.
"The Ministry of Helicopters" (7:22): Post-punk screaming vocals. More Sebadoh-sounding guitar riffs. I like the dark guitar riff that comes in around the 2:30 point. Around 4:30 it explodes into more beefy Sebadoh sound. I like how this track ends. It is very powerful; but, as a whole, it is a very long track that is difficult to grasp. I prefer "Atmosphere..." The CD includes a booklet with a photo of each band member (I guess it's them. It's three guys, anyway), illustrations, credits, and lyrics.

This Michigan trio, featuring two brothers and a friend they met n college, make a lot of noise, especially for a three piece. "Wires in the Walls" is an album in the indie/post-punk genre with different moods throughout the record. It was actually recorded well before it came out, but sat on the shelves while vocalist/guitarist Jason Hendrix went to art school.

The record features such songs as "Drunk Under Electrics" and "Swallow Fire," which has the Jesus Lizard vibe, and Scientist Girl," which is a more cute poppy vibe of a song. Other songs are more new wavish. "Bottom of this Town" and "Cities" show off influences of Jaxbox, the respectable Archers of Loaf and Fugazi.

It was a good thing these guys got back together to release "Wires on the Walls." If they stick with it they'll be putting out great music in the future.

Seriously, if this entire CD was like SCIENTIST GIRL, this would be my favorite new band. Anyone looking for a sweet reminder that the Archers of Loaf were the greatest band of the 90s, need not look any further. This is the great lost Archers song. A perfect song in every way shape and form. And the Clash bridge is the best hook I've heard in quite some time.

The rest unfortunately is a little too emo/screamo for me...(OK, BOTTOM OF THIS TOWN is the second best track...quite good.)

My advice to the band: stop the yelling and focus on the noise/pop...you do it exceedingly well. We don't need another Thursday, Hot Rod Circuit, etc and so on.

My advice to rock lovers: for the prices you can pick this up used...do it for SCIENTIST GIRL!

This band is amazing. This album was easily one of the best of 2006, despite being written in 2003. It showcases a huge range of styles and yet each song is so tight. I highly recommend this band to anyone who is a fan of Archers of Loaf, Blood Brothers, These Arms Are Snakes, and Bear vs. Shark.

They are amazing live and if you haven't checked them out yet, you should.