Connections. It’s all about connections. You know Geoff Rickley – great! You know Stephen Pederson – great! You have ties to a huge music magazine – great! Connections totally work in favor of Cleveland’s newest art rockers, THE LOVEKILL. The four-piece started out as a rough idea four years ago but didn’t really start to come together until recently. With a solid line-up in check, the band recorded their debut record, These Moments Are Momentum, with brand new producer but longtime musician Stephen Pederson (Cursive, Criteria) for release on Rickley’s Astro Magnetics/Eyeball Records. THE LOVEKILL are readily comparable to AM’s other post-punk group, THE VALLEY ARENA. However, these guys are much rougher around the edges, which is a fact that strongly works in their favor. With ten songs, These Moments Are Momentum is the perfect introduction record. The guitar is the primary instrument here with the band’s two guitarists opting for the jittery, distorted tone made famous by those early post-punk bands. Highlights come in the form of dueling riffs (“Palms And Gin”), mesmerizing riffs (“Sleepover”), and, of course, frenzied riffs (“Nothing Yet”). A tight-knit rhythm section keeps the underlying beat going as you’ll discover in tracks like “The Refrain Of The AM” and “Complicated Sighs”. The vocals provided by Chris Rager are a snug fit for the group as he shouts/sings in gritty, gruff tone. The band’s bassist, Carla Cherry, also lends her talents every now and then. A memorable moments comes in the fourth tune, “Ride On, Miner” where her and Rager trade-off the lines “love hurts, cash burns, rain soothes and thunder heals.” Through all of the dissonance, the band manages to include one track that focuses on loud/soft dynamics titled “Land Time.” As the last song on the disc, it’s only appropriate that THE LOVEKILL drop the tempo in order to end the disc with a killer build-up that concludes with their signature guitar tones. These Moments Are Momentum is a quality debut from this rather new quartet. While their sound is nothing new, their style of play is a welcome change. The one thing that seems to pop-up in my mind as a prospective qualm lies with the vocals. While Rager certainly fits in quite well, his voice rarely changes, making for a sometimes stagnant performance. Aside from this, THE LOVEKILL has offered a disc that proves they may not have needed the connections after all. – Review written by Corey Schmidt

Astro Magnetics/Eyeball

www.astromagnetics.com/