Noise 101: CD reviews for Jan. 31
A Fairway Full of Miners
Majestic Triumph
Score: B+
Boats’ third album, A Fairway Full of Miners, is sure to inspire emotions of gleeful yet sombre oddness. Mat Klachefsky’s unusually high-pitched voice is very interesting and well done at first, although after 45 minutes it tips slightly to the cloying and sharp side of the spectrum. The backing vocals on the other hand are confidently sassy and stern, but regrettably never seem to reach their full potential. The lyrics are intriguingly simple yet artistic, and seem to grow on themselves as the album progresses. Ever heard of a song about bears? Probably. Glowing bears? Probably not. The album has both. Boats gets points for not being frightened about sounding different and even weird. The album as a whole could be initially written off as nonsense very easily. If one dives into its intricacies, though, they’ll find it well done and interesting. What can first appear as juvenile and shallow actually turns out to be youthful yet insightful.
— Logan Pollon
Detours
Self-released
Score: B
2012 was a fun year for a lot of bands who were trying to get their start, as there were a lot of upbeat young bands who released their debut last year, and a lot of them were really promising. Thought Beneath Film just managed to squeak into that, dropping Detours right before the year ended. Even though it is only five songs, Thought Beneath Film could easily start carving a path not unlike Blink 182, especially with their sound. Their lyrics have a genuine sense of honesty to them, and make them appealing to listen to. The EP can have the knock on it for sounding slightly repetitive by the fourth song, but this is a band who have clearly found something they like and don’t want to let it go. Give it time, and they should mature really well.
— Nathan Ross
My Name is Kay
Dumptruck Unicorn Entertainment
Score: F+
If you think there’s something familiar about the opening track of My Name is Kay’s self-titled EP, you’re right. It seems like her opening track – narcissistically entitled “My Name is Kay – is a direct rip off from The Ting Ting’s popular hit “That’s Not My Name”. Unfortunately for Kay, she is as unique as her freckles – which she has clearly drawn on herself using a brown eye pencil. Kay’s tracks include “Diddy Dum” and “Going Diamond,” which features sensational artists such as your boy Kurtis Blow. Kay’s songs are also reminiscent of Ke$ha, in that she is often speak-singing to the beat of some sickly sweet pop beat to lyrics that make absolutely no sense. The only good thing about listening to this album is that you’ll feel like listening to The Ting Tings, which is actually a good time.
— Holly Triebwasser