Rohan Kohli
11/21/05, 06:15 PM
Little Compass - Discover
Release Date: February 22, 2005
Record Label: Negative Progression
When I first put on Little Compass’ Discover, I was a bit appalled (and still am) at how bad the opening lines sound: a mid-tempo hi-hat countoff leads into the words “You wanted murder” sung over and over by a less than stellar voice, backed by relatively boring accompaniment. Had I been just a casual listener looking for new music, I might have immediately passed over this album, but being the dutiful reviewer I am, I decided to listen to the entire CD a few times and found myself enjoying Little Compass’ jangly-guitarred, Texas is the Reason, Get Up Kids-inspired emo rock. Little Compass’ debut on Negative Progression Records is a fine blend of traditional emo and shows a lot of promise for the band, but I feel that, ultimately, Discover suffers from mediocre vocals (though some may say it fits the style), average melodies, a lack of catchiness, and second-rate production.
Little Compass’ slightly nasal vocals are very much reminiscent of Garrett Klahn of Texas is the Reason, with occasional hints of Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids on certain accents. The rhythm guitars are fairly simple, driving the emo-infused rock with a good amount of aggression, and the lead lines really stand out, for they are very tastefully written, have some depth to them, and color otherwise somewhat bland songs. The bass is punchy and straightforward, and though thin sounding, the drums are lively and animated.
As mentioned previously, the intro of the first track, “You Wanted Murder,” is pretty much abysmal. However, Little Compass turns things around a bit in the verses of the song with a nice, lightly reverbed clean guitar playing a cascading lead over shimmering chords and a syncopated bass, though the vocal melodies could use some working on. The second track, “Risky Business,” doesn’t start off so hot either, with not so great vocals kicking things into gear, much like the first track, but the track redeems itself with an intricate dual guitar lead-based verse, and a kick-ass bridge chock full of guitar harmonies. Other notable moments on the album include the rhythmic, crunchy, yet relaxing intro of “Two Hundred Horses” and the album closer “My Baby Lives in Rockdale,” a spacey, wandering piano-based song that shows that Little Compass is capable of writing good pop—a direction I’d like to see them take.
The production on the album is definitely not a strong point. For some reason, it’s really hard for me to put my finger on what exactly it is about the recording that I don’t like, because individually, everything seems fine. I did notice though that the vocals aren’t always as bright and up-front as they could be (and sometimes have too much reverb, adding to the “distance” effect), and the while the bass tone is quite good, the guitars and drums just sound thin. I think the drums just have too much of a ‘roomy’ sound, weakening the impact of the CD. Overall, a better job could have been done, but I’m being a bit of an asshole, since I don’t even know what exactly to fix.
As a whole, I found the album to be a bit boring with its lack of hooks, but definitely enjoyed hearing a somewhat more traditional emo record. I think if the vocalists were to work on their voices and write better melodies, if the band could write more mature, pop-oriented music (though some may scoff at the idea), and if Little Compass could get a better recording, they have a bright future. That sounds like a tall order, but I feel that Little Compass is definitely capable of it. At times I felt like I was listening to a “local” band for some reason (if that makes any sense), but I think Little Compass, with a little maturation, can really make an impact with their next release.
Release Date: February 22, 2005
Record Label: Negative Progression
When I first put on Little Compass’ Discover, I was a bit appalled (and still am) at how bad the opening lines sound: a mid-tempo hi-hat countoff leads into the words “You wanted murder” sung over and over by a less than stellar voice, backed by relatively boring accompaniment. Had I been just a casual listener looking for new music, I might have immediately passed over this album, but being the dutiful reviewer I am, I decided to listen to the entire CD a few times and found myself enjoying Little Compass’ jangly-guitarred, Texas is the Reason, Get Up Kids-inspired emo rock. Little Compass’ debut on Negative Progression Records is a fine blend of traditional emo and shows a lot of promise for the band, but I feel that, ultimately, Discover suffers from mediocre vocals (though some may say it fits the style), average melodies, a lack of catchiness, and second-rate production.
Little Compass’ slightly nasal vocals are very much reminiscent of Garrett Klahn of Texas is the Reason, with occasional hints of Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids on certain accents. The rhythm guitars are fairly simple, driving the emo-infused rock with a good amount of aggression, and the lead lines really stand out, for they are very tastefully written, have some depth to them, and color otherwise somewhat bland songs. The bass is punchy and straightforward, and though thin sounding, the drums are lively and animated.
As mentioned previously, the intro of the first track, “You Wanted Murder,” is pretty much abysmal. However, Little Compass turns things around a bit in the verses of the song with a nice, lightly reverbed clean guitar playing a cascading lead over shimmering chords and a syncopated bass, though the vocal melodies could use some working on. The second track, “Risky Business,” doesn’t start off so hot either, with not so great vocals kicking things into gear, much like the first track, but the track redeems itself with an intricate dual guitar lead-based verse, and a kick-ass bridge chock full of guitar harmonies. Other notable moments on the album include the rhythmic, crunchy, yet relaxing intro of “Two Hundred Horses” and the album closer “My Baby Lives in Rockdale,” a spacey, wandering piano-based song that shows that Little Compass is capable of writing good pop—a direction I’d like to see them take.
The production on the album is definitely not a strong point. For some reason, it’s really hard for me to put my finger on what exactly it is about the recording that I don’t like, because individually, everything seems fine. I did notice though that the vocals aren’t always as bright and up-front as they could be (and sometimes have too much reverb, adding to the “distance” effect), and the while the bass tone is quite good, the guitars and drums just sound thin. I think the drums just have too much of a ‘roomy’ sound, weakening the impact of the CD. Overall, a better job could have been done, but I’m being a bit of an asshole, since I don’t even know what exactly to fix.
As a whole, I found the album to be a bit boring with its lack of hooks, but definitely enjoyed hearing a somewhat more traditional emo record. I think if the vocalists were to work on their voices and write better melodies, if the band could write more mature, pop-oriented music (though some may scoff at the idea), and if Little Compass could get a better recording, they have a bright future. That sounds like a tall order, but I feel that Little Compass is definitely capable of it. At times I felt like I was listening to a “local” band for some reason (if that makes any sense), but I think Little Compass, with a little maturation, can really make an impact with their next release.