Demo CD v1.0

Three songs on a mini-disc-sized CD by a humble San Francisco-based trio that isn't ashamed to present demos that sound like demos. The best of the bunch is the opening low-fi number that's dominated (overpowered) by a bass that throbs so much that my speakers almost split. Still, the vocals and brush drums don't get lost, not too much anyway. It's sort of a homemade trip-hop epic with Throwing Muses overtones that, despite a horrendous recording job, still makes my knees shake.

By contrast, track 2 ("Birthday") is better-recorded and more straight-ahead from an indie standpoint -- slower, slacker, a shot at Kindercore pop. Vocalist Sadie Contini sounds kinda sad, kinda sweet, like Liz Phair back when Liz Phair still felt something. The last song is another low-fi mess, all scratchy electric guitar and kettle drum and Contini fuzzed through fuzzed equipment, singing about having a "shot of whiskey in each hand" while she does the indie twist with the rest of us.

Rough, really rough. But just like all good music, the good parts shine through the muck. Get 'em an engineer and a studio and watch the sparks fly. Hell, they're already flyin'.

back to   Posted Oct. 13, 2002. Copyright © 2002 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.