 Clown
Down
"Living Alone" CD
The
Sea Isle
Genres: indie rock, indie pop
The Sea Isle
43-34 Piedmont Court
Morristown, NJ 07960
Oct 27 - Nov 2 2003 |
Clown
Down are an above average indie rock band with a good name
[despite what others might think!] and
some good ideas. Melodies are like cakes to them, they bake 'em,
ice 'em with delicious guitar hooks, and serve 'em off like
nothing. At times on their new album, Living Alone, their
music drags and becomes a bit drab, but overall it's a very solid
effort. The best song has got to be "Nowhere Else," which has
a classic melody and a rumbling, jerky feel that is almost
cacophonic but undeniably infectious. Also catchy is
"Camera," a more subtle, semi-acoustic tune that brings you
back down to earth, and "The City Below," a tune curiously
familiar to I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One-era Yo La
Tengo. Other tunes, unfortunately, aren't nearly as
successful - the experimental "Carpetbanging" is earnestly
melodic at times, but often sounds hokey and unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, "Where the Temperature is Colder" is refreshing,
but lacking in terms of melody.
All around, Clown Down's Living Alone is a
very enjoyable album, but not a perfect one. Still, when it
comes down to value for the dollar, this is a worthwhile purchase for
indie rockers and indie poppers alike. Nice.
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by Zerotec
/ the label, released 2003] |
