Lawnmower are a three-piece band from Michigan who channel the spirit of mid 90s indie rock. If you like this kind of thing then the Whack Yer Brain EP is a must have. However, let me first say that this band is kind of derivative and you might find the music too retro-nostalgic. Fortunately, you can sample at their BandCamp page to determine where your loyalties to this type of music fall...
There are five songs. This first is Team Spirit, a fun energetic buzz fest. This song crunches along happily.
Beware Heather Sinclair starts off with a riff reminiscent of the start of Smells Like Teen Spirit, but then it morphs into a Weezer tune, complete with the band ooh-oohing under the crunchy guitars. Not bad at all.
Party Favors is a fun indie pop song that really channels the feeling of the early 1990s. It reminds me of Sebadoh, Superchunk, Velocity Girl, etc. etc. The song grinds along happily, with distorted guitar and chugging rhythms, and the voice a little disaffected, almost bored. In a way, this song sums up the entire spirit of the band, and does it in a fun, catchy manner.
The brief (minute and a half) interlude, Spinner's Got A Mohawk is fast, yet light and silly, like the Dead Milkmen.
And finally the EP ends with the long (three and a half minutes -- the second longest tune on the EP), droning Adams. The guitar is overdriven and grinds along, almost ponderously. The voice eventually becomes buried in tremolo, skipping and stuttering, like some kind of IDM sample. To be honest, this is not Lawnmower's best work.
The band certainly have mastered the mid 90s, and i am sure that they are fun in concert. However, i think this is a little too derivative for most listeners. |
