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10:
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timeless/perfect
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9 to 9.9:
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significant past 10 years
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8 to 8.9:
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significant past 5 years
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7 to 7.9:
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memorable
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6 to 6.9:
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standard playlife
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5 to 5.9:
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good for now
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4 to 4.9:
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will get a few playthroughs
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3 to 3.9:
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won't intentionally listen to this
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2 to 2.9:
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strongly avoid it
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1 to 1.9:
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no reason to ever listen to this
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0.1 to 0.9:
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rage-inducing
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0:
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no merit whatsoever.
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 Defog, The
"Sounds From the Stars" (CDEP)
released in 2004
Label: self-released
Philadelphia’s Defog offer up an original round of spacey rock & roll with this latest offering, a four-song EP/demo of sorts that touches various aspects of musicianship. With an arsenal of instruments, these guys have some heavy artillery compared to most bands. For the most part, the songs are short and to the point, with typical rock parts and background effects for an added element.
“Downstream,” the record’s first track and radio song, marries a nicely crafted blend of garage rock and astronomic effects that bring Steve Miller and the Strokes to mind. The lyrics are sing-along style and it’s easy to see where this song would get radio airplay. To be honest, its better than most of the carbon-copy garbage out these days. It’s an interesting mix, and the Defog somehow make it work. Other tracks are a bit more exploratory, and show off the band’s versatility.
“Asterisk” begins with a wah-heavy organ/Moog sound, and drifts off into the pop territory of outer space, while “Calibrated” and “Corner Stores” dabble in the formula that made Radiohead’s OK Computer into a modern classic. This is where the band runs into problems on their quest for rock originality. The songs sound forced at times and not so authentic; most of this EP sounds like four guys picked their favorite parts of their favorite songs and rewrote them for their band. For the most part, the Defog have what it takes to craft well-done rock compositions, but the sound echoes too much of what’s already been done. If these guys wrote more original material, they would no doubt be on their way by now. The space elements that they harness would separate them from the rest.
-30-
Review written on 2004/03/29 by Dan Doelker
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