The Return Of The Mini Review Posted by Corey Schmidt / June 2, 2007 Haven't had one of these posts in a long time, so here we go:
THE SPILL CANVAS - Denial Feels So Good (Sire/One Eleven) Until THE SPILL CANVAS' proper Sire debut is released this fall, this five song EP acts as a placeholder for die-hard fans. It contains a redone version of the song "Stapplegunned" (with a radio-ready sound that proves why they're on Sire), a couple of covers, and two new tracks. The new songs find THE SPILL CANVAS furthering with the "full band" pop-rock sound of One Fell Swoop. The biggest surprise with this release is their cover of FLEETWOOD MAC's "Gold Dust Woman." While Nick Thomas is hardly Stevie Nicks, the band's performance as a whole is spot-on with the only shortfall coming with THE SPILL CANVAS' lack of singing band members. Otherwise, the song is done superbly and makes Denial worth a listen or two.
THE CONFORMISTS - Three Hundred (54º 40' Or Fight!) For a group of guys who go by the name THE CONFORMISTS, they sure haven't conformed to much of anything. Their latest Steve Albini-produced record, Three Hundred, is one hell of an odd calculation of nonsensical chords, gritty vocals, and discordant rhythms. Avoiding the opening track of nothing and the second track of moans and static, Three Hundred starts to take shape around track three, a mesmerizing, supremely angular jam titled "Stairway To Heaven." Things get weirder by the minute with this record, eventually culminating with an eight-minute song of more of the same. I'm not sure if this is really great, artsy post-hardcore or if it's just really bad music.
SEVENTH STAR - The Undisputed Truth (Facedown) I've got to give Kurt Ballou some dap after hearing The Undisputed Truth, the latest disc from SEVENTH STAR. The record sounds absolutely mammoth, and while a lot of that is attributed to the simple fact that these hardcore brethren simply shred, credit must be given to Ballou for capturing the crispness of the guitar so freaking well. Combine that with barking dog growls, obligatory gang vocals, and a breakdown here and there and you've got yourself a roaring (literally) metal-tinged hardcore release in The Undisputed Truth.
BIRDS OF AVALON - Bazaar Bazaar (Volcom) BIRDS OF AVALON further represent Volcom's complete 180 as a record label. The BIRDS' latest record, Bazaar Bazaar, is a lesson in classic rock 'n roll complete with the distorted, rough production quality. While the band writes very good rock songs, they are at their best when playing with a bit of a psychedelic edge. This shows up in a number of tracks but most notably in the slow-moving and spacey "Wanderlust" and in the complex arrangements of "Superpower." Certain aspects of Bazaar bore me a bit, but the progressive parts more than make up for the lack of luster elsewhere.
SLIDE SHOW BABY - S/T (Moriath) The base of SLIDE SHOW BABY, two kids who love to play bagpipes and the fiddle, is really, really solid. They set their songs up around the aforementioned instruments and incorporate groovy rhythms and acoustic guitar to form unique fiddle-and-bagpipe-driven pop music. There are certainly some great songs on their debut disc - especially opener "Never Go Back" - but they've still got some major problems. For starters, the vocals are just bad, the acoustic ballads don't work, the FALL OUT BOY aping doesn't work, and the rapping found in track seven certainly doesn't work. I'll give these guys a chance in the future because they are onto something, they just haven't found out exactly what that something is yet.
Until THE SPILL CANVAS' proper Sire debut is released this fall, this five song EP acts as a placeholder for die-hard fans. It contains a redone version of the song "Stapplegunned" (with a radio-ready sound that proves why they're on Sire), a couple of covers, and two new tracks. The new songs find THE SPILL CANVAS furthering with the "full band" pop-rock sound of One Fell Swoop. The biggest surprise with this release is their cover of FLEETWOOD MAC's "Gold Dust Woman." While Nick Thomas is hardly Stevie Nicks, the band's performance as a whole is spot-on with the only shortfall coming with THE SPILL CANVAS' lack of singing band members. Otherwise, the song is done superbly and makes Denial worth a listen or two. 
For a group of guys who go by the name THE CONFORMISTS, they sure haven't conformed to much of anything. Their latest Steve Albini-produced record, Three Hundred, is one hell of an odd calculation of nonsensical chords, gritty vocals, and discordant rhythms. Avoiding the opening track of nothing and the second track of moans and static, Three Hundred starts to take shape around track three, a mesmerizing, supremely angular jam titled "Stairway To Heaven." Things get weirder by the minute with this record, eventually culminating with an eight-minute song of more of the same. I'm not sure if this is really great, artsy post-hardcore or if it's just really bad music.
I've got to give Kurt Ballou some dap after hearing The Undisputed Truth, the latest disc from SEVENTH STAR. The record sounds absolutely mammoth, and while a lot of that is attributed to the simple fact that these hardcore brethren simply shred, credit must be given to Ballou for capturing the crispness of the guitar so freaking well. Combine that with barking dog growls, obligatory gang vocals, and a breakdown here and there and you've got yourself a roaring (literally) metal-tinged hardcore release in The Undisputed Truth.
BIRDS OF AVALON further represent Volcom's complete 180 as a record label. The BIRDS' latest record, Bazaar Bazaar, is a lesson in classic rock 'n roll complete with the distorted, rough production quality. While the band writes very good rock songs, they are at their best when playing with a bit of a psychedelic edge. This shows up in a number of tracks but most notably in the slow-moving and spacey "Wanderlust" and in the complex arrangements of "Superpower." Certain aspects of Bazaar bore me a bit, but the progressive parts more than make up for the lack of luster elsewhere.
The base of SLIDE SHOW BABY, two kids who love to play bagpipes and the fiddle, is really, really solid. They set their songs up around the aforementioned instruments and incorporate groovy rhythms and acoustic guitar to form unique fiddle-and-bagpipe-driven pop music. There are certainly some great songs on their debut disc - especially opener "Never Go Back" - but they've still got some major problems. For starters, the vocals are just bad, the acoustic ballads don't work, the FALL OUT BOY aping doesn't work, and the rapping found in track seven certainly doesn't work. I'll give these guys a chance in the future because they are onto something, they just haven't found out exactly what that something is yet.
