Signals Midwest

Light On The Lake

Written by: PP on 23/10/2013 23:49:03

There are two things you immediately notice about Signals Midwest. One, their vocalist bears considerable similarity to the explosive style of the renowned Bear Vs Shark vocalist Marc Paffi. Two, their soundscape is quite a bit more experimental and characteristic of outside-of-the-box thinking than what is usual for punk rock bands. "Light On The Lake", their sophomore full-length, continues where the excellent "Latitudes And Longitudes" left off last year, displaying quirky, slightly odd, and halfway introspective punk rock with a distinct indie rock flavoring for good measure.

Basically, put together your typical basement style punk bands owning a sound that's best described as intimate (think Timeshares, Ma Jolie, etc) with the explosive indie-flavored post-hardcore of Bear Vs Shark, add in a bit of Castevet style playful guitars and you're just about there. The production is rough, kinda lo-fi and garage styled, this time audibly due to a low-budget rather than purposefully so, but it also gives the band a certain charm that allows their occasionally sparkly melodies to stand out. Already album opener "308" features unconventional vocal melodies - this isn't just your shouted out punk rock or anything - but it is in the tempo shifts from medium to slow, and the sudden breaks in their sound, where Signals Midwest are at their best. Their loud and angular punk rock with post-rock inspired guitars is often broken down to quiet atmospherics, only to resume in a crescendo and explode out into melodic shouts, where their vocalist's pipes just barely crack at the passion of his delivery. Such example can be found in the beautiful "The Desert To Denver", for example. The album highlight is undoubtedly "San Anselmo", though, which is both louder and feels more convincing than its quieter counterparts. It is also probably the most punk rock song on the album with an uptempo riff and strong vocals on top, with an infectious chorus driving the song home as the best one on the record.

But while there is strong material on "Light On The Lake", it does feel a little too experimental for its own good overall. Much of this can be attributed to the shoddy production that leaves many instruments ringing in the soundscape in a rather unclear manner, which results in a rather amateurish taste left in your mouth once you're done with the record. But the fact of the matter is that many of the quieter songs are a little too quiet especially when they stand in contrast with brighter, more playful tracks like "Lowercase". So I guess the overall verdict on the record is that of inconsistency: some good songs, but not enough to reach top marks for the time being.

7

Download: San Anselmo, 308, The Desert To Denver
For the fans of: Timeshares, Bear Vs Shark, Ma Jolie, Castevet
Listen: Facebook

Release date 29.10.2013
Tiny Engines

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