Fairweather

What started out as seemingly just another emo-rock band, Fairweather has progressed way beyond that. In just three years, the DC-based quintet has grown into something beyond the quiet/loud, soft/hard aesthetic of emo mainstays like Elliott or the Casket Lottery. Sure there is some of that here, but there's just as much My Bloody Valentine and Fugazi-like experimentalism. On their Alaska EP last year, they started hinting at the direction that comes to realisation on Lusitania, their second full-length. Swirling epics like the opening twin attack of "Derivative Opener" and the title track sit oddly but not uncomfortably alongside rockers like "Letter of Intent" and "Mercer Island.” A bold and satisfying piece of work from a band that keeps on improving.