BAD SIGN - EP review added 15th Month 2011
EP Review: Exit EP (2011)
For fans of: Melodic Alt Rock... and standing in a doorway
Croydon, UK melodic alt rockers Bad Sign - Joe Appleford on vocals and bass, Jon Harris on guitars, and David "Smithy" Smith on drums - have been around for a little under two years. The "Exit" EP is their second release, following their 2009 debut "The Trend Is Dead".
The sound is a cocktail of bright sparkling 1960s guitars, 1970s rock guitars, 1980s glam guitars, 1990s grunge guitars, er, and modern guitars, all mixed with a fat slice of bass, indie-esque drums and Joe's big vocals. His singing delivery is, for want of a better word, epic. Even the quiet subtle moments feel like they were recorded at 100,000W in a huge theatre.
The result of all this vast vocalizing, mixed-up guitar and pounding rhythm is surprisingly cohesive and enjoyable. "Exit" is self-indulgent in some ways, trading accessibility for introspective genius, but musicians are by rights supposed to create music for themselves, not others, so it's hard to complain about that.
Song wise, the almost-catchy 'Eclipse' and the heavy-in-places title track appeal the most, but there's certainly nowt wrong with the other three tracks.
In Summation:
It won't appeal to everyone, but for people who like a slab of monstrous indie or experimental alt rock, this really is worth checking out.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Check out... All of it.
Track List:
01. Unknown
02. Existence
03. Eclipse
04. Inertia
05. Exit
Artist's website(s): MySpace | Facebook
