Before there was Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate
there was a fun little genre called indie rock or
alternative full of bands like the Pixies and Dinosaur
Jr. They wrote jangly fun numbers that were not quite
mainstream enough to make it on the radio and garnered
cult followings in pockets all over the country. They
were not tough enough to be punk or hardcore but they
were still outsiders in their own way. It’s
not that often that you see a band doing this type
of music now a days and that is what makes this record
from Martians See Red such a special little record.
The songs on When All Seems Lost… are vintage
alt rock full of fun jangly guitar lines through the
verses that are abruptly halted by a solid stomp on
the fuzz box for the chorus. There are moments where
Martians See Red channel something that sounds closer
to modern bands like Weezer, but for the most part
these guys know where they are comfortable and they
stay there. Fuzzy warm garage rock is the name of
the day when this album is taken out of its case.
There seems to be some sort of sci-fi theme running
through the lyrics… maybe that has something
to do with the bands name ?. If you like the Pixies
or Dinosaur Jr. or any of their running mates do yourself
a favor and check out Martians See Red, they will
definitely calm your fears.
Key Tracks: Channeling Aero
Reviewed by Rob Froese |
