The "Collars" CD is so well written that I listen to it three or more times consecutively. I love the song "Tongue in Cheek". The music rhythm is so awesome that it makes me want to jump up and down as well as nod my head in an up/down motion. I love it.
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Somehow managing to stir up sounds that are both superbly orchestrated and raucously inebriated, this Bay Area alt-pop four piece has put together a ten track debut that effortlessly embraces stark melodies and the more unpretentious aspects of math rock. By advantageously perfecting these songs for years before the release of this CD, the resulting tracks are assuredly polished and true, stealthy in their complexity and confident in their delivery. Like any good rock band, these guys get in, get out, and move on (none of these tracks even hit the four minute mark), making their play without any of the obligatory bells and whistles. They don't need it. These songs are compressed, smart, and fun to get to know. With the two guitars feeding into and off each other, the sound ends up being expansive and rich, which can't help but add another layer to the vocals. Smoothly toggling between lovelorn bliss and consuming self-examination, the lyrics here could be tossed off as "emo" (the dreaded "e" word) but that's not giving the songs nearly enough credit. At the base of it, this is just intelligent, really strong rock music that can't help but appeal to a large audience. And that's not easy to come by these days.
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