Shallow Water Blackout

Sprung from various Southern Ontario suburbs, like a Frisbee coated with the finest commercial grade shellac, comes this debut from a band that makes some tastefully promising music. Recorded by electrical axe wielder Dan Dunham (Shallow North Dakota) and Sean Pearson (who did a magnificent job on the punishing FiftyWattHead debut), this stunning disc takes the best elements of modern music from the last ten years and interweaves them with a coherent smoothness. In a way, it acts like a clear and definable blueprint to a world of otherwise confused influences that usually afflict an indie band. At times, one can hear slivers from music of long ago, like Helmet, gliding into explosive nu metallisms, Epitaph punk or happy pop rock, like Weezer. There is something for everyone on this disc, yet you will find that you can listen to it all without discretion. The ultra-unique element to the band is their distant approach to diluted but realistic angst-ridden lyrics and rickety neophyte vocal sounds, which gives the necessary, yet respectful, "fuck you" to normalcy, thus making them sit on top of every band out there who wants a proper record deal. The other highlight to the EP is the Dutch/Anglo/Hamilton working-class handyman tone manipulations by SND's Dunham, who makes the guitars sound like an old, warm, humming octopus furnace fornicating with a tetanus-ridden ban saw. (Tony Jacome, drummer and vocalist of SND, also makes a vocal appearance on the last track.) Shallow Water Blackout might be the next big thing, and this EP is about as much of a justifiable business card to success as there will ever be.