steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Infinite August

"A Loss So Dear" CD

Self-released

Genres: indie pop, indie rock, lo-fi

email the band

Dec 8 - 14 2003

Although A Loss So Dear appears, from the cover art, to be as unspectacular as an EP can appear, its six songs are some of the most pleasant, infectious ditties to come around in a long time.  Infinite August, comprised of Cincinnati scenesters Mike Detmer (The Spectacular Fantastic, Folk?) and Ben Walpole (The Minor Leagues), is a duo worth your attention.

While I am not personally familiar with Walpole's musical projects, I have long paid attention to Detmer's output, and its evidence is certainly apparent on this disc.  A Loss So Dear employs a lot of Mike's lo-fi training, and his wonderful melodic sensibility is apparent on many of these songs.  "Sarah's Got a Headache Again," for example, is pure Ionik / Datawaslost DIY pop, and "Little Pieces" is a possible homage to the country-pop leanings Detmer exemplified on his last Spectacular Fantastic album, New Equations for the Simple Mind.  It's clear that Detmer and Walpole's styles complement each other well, and though this disc is short, it's also intensely listenable.  The only flop is "Where It Stands," which isn't awful but doesn't impress as much as the other songs do - its use of loops is intriguing, but some of the melodies are bit of a stretch.

While the Cincinnati scene is notorious for rapid cross-breeding and short-lived side projects, here's to Infinite August sticking around for a full-length; after a promising EP like this, it would be criminal for Detmer and Walpole to end things now.

80%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 6 tracks, distributed by Galaxy CDs, released 2003]