Steve Henderson
07/12/06, 03:00 PM
Apollo Up - Chariots of Fire
Release Date: June 13, 2006
Record Label: Theory 8 Records
Rating: [6.8/10]
From the opening verse of the raucous "Walking the Plank," it is apparent that if while not the embodiment of subtlety, Apollo Up certainly conjures up a tangible sense of cool to fill any void left by missed music lessons. This is not to say Chariots of Fire is at all a bad work per se, as seen when they tear off a pretty decent riff later in the opening track (and beyond), but simply that the gents are obviously far more focused on exuding octane than opulence. Every riff is reckless and blaring with underlying tones of grungy funk, with the percussion dutifully hammering along in kind. For the first few songs, when Jay Phillips' impassioned, crackling vocals hit the speakers, Apollo Up induces the type of grimy giddiness requisite for any dollar-beer dive-bar binge-fest, but by the time we reach "Custom Critical," the once-novel dirt begins to cake a little too obtrusively, and Apollo Up starts to sound more like a band you find performing at the aforementioned hole-in-the-wall. Maybe Apollo Up is just not my bowl of porridge or this brand of music inherently pummels without relent and subsequently wears out its welcome prematurely, but regardless, I'd just as soon take "Walking the Plank" through the funked-out, ska-tinged "Cut Up" in thrift-store-soundtrack EP form and tip my coozie-hugged PBR to that instead.
Recover, Controlling the Famous, Emanuel, Electric Six, The Mooney Suzuki
Release Date: June 13, 2006
Record Label: Theory 8 Records
Rating: [6.8/10]
From the opening verse of the raucous "Walking the Plank," it is apparent that if while not the embodiment of subtlety, Apollo Up certainly conjures up a tangible sense of cool to fill any void left by missed music lessons. This is not to say Chariots of Fire is at all a bad work per se, as seen when they tear off a pretty decent riff later in the opening track (and beyond), but simply that the gents are obviously far more focused on exuding octane than opulence. Every riff is reckless and blaring with underlying tones of grungy funk, with the percussion dutifully hammering along in kind. For the first few songs, when Jay Phillips' impassioned, crackling vocals hit the speakers, Apollo Up induces the type of grimy giddiness requisite for any dollar-beer dive-bar binge-fest, but by the time we reach "Custom Critical," the once-novel dirt begins to cake a little too obtrusively, and Apollo Up starts to sound more like a band you find performing at the aforementioned hole-in-the-wall. Maybe Apollo Up is just not my bowl of porridge or this brand of music inherently pummels without relent and subsequently wears out its welcome prematurely, but regardless, I'd just as soon take "Walking the Plank" through the funked-out, ska-tinged "Cut Up" in thrift-store-soundtrack EP form and tip my coozie-hugged PBR to that instead.
Recover, Controlling the Famous, Emanuel, Electric Six, The Mooney Suzuki