at what point did you stop believing me?
Bound Stems - Appreciation Night

play our songs and never grow up!

so promises Chicago's Bound Stems. i love this band. a lot. i simply enjoy their weirdness and the thematic score (if you will) that they compose as the album grows. though their city inspires most of the sound and subject matter, it's about the progression of life, from kickball in alleyways to the blushing-cheeks grade school crushes to the noisy move out on your own. they translate the insanity of leaving adolescence into an audible sensation - a lyrically and instrumentally adept look into that exciting obliviousness and unsteady... whatever. it rises and falls like the same hills and dips of elation and disappointment that happen almost daily. it's crazy, it's noisy, it's delightful. there is a whole story written of fifteen tracks to relate to, and you want to hear the story over and over.

vocals have everything you can't get enough of from Isaac Brock, and the music itself leaves the same aftertaste as Wolf Parade's rawness and Broken Social Scene's experimental unpredictability. both male and female vocals blend well, and the lyrics are simple, minimalistic (not minimal - they're an integral part) and they take great care to either speak or sing according to the entire feel of the track. some instruments get carried away, but we can forgive them that.

Appreciation Night is their debut LP. their EP - The Logic Of Building The Body Plan - got quite the round of attention and was enjoyed by some and actually angered others.

::::goodness gracious.
Bound Stems - Andover
Bound Stems - Wake Up, Ma And Pa Are Gone
Bound Stems - Excellent News, Colonel

it all drops September 19th on Flameshovel Records (more mp3s), which is so far away they aren't even talking about pre-ordering yet. but keep it in the back of your mind, yo.
also, check their myspace. great pictures of these guys.  shan  2:21 PM  |  view comments (0)