Cascadia

Album review

Like the acoustic moments of 2002's Feedback That Distracts Us suggested, Jet By Day doesn't seem satisfied with the fabulous simplicity of monolithic riffs linking up with bitchin' vocal hooks. Sure, on their sophomore full-length, Cascadia (Kindercore), the quartet spends half its time firing ambitious rock & roll grapeshot out of an elephant gun the size of its native Georgia. "I Got Time," "Let You Down," and especially "This Quiet Hell" approximate the dizzy sonic fury of vintage Poster Children, with the guitars of frontman Dave Matysiak and Mason Brown tagging in and out with precision, while Amy Burmeister's supporting vocal on the latter nods to indie rock's long history of secret weapon female bass players. But "Stare at the Sun" whirs on an analog synth pop-meets-Sebadoh vibe, while "Dying in the Spotlight" features roiling heavy metal drum fills and a spiraling, proggy midsection that's closer to stoner rock than anthemic indie guitar band madness. Some of these elastic thematic experiments don't work as well. "Last Call" drags its clichéd lyrical string behind it, and some later turns toward dark-toned woodshed Americana are a bit half-formed. But even if these forays aren't always successful, Jet By Day realizes such stylistic detours add shelf life to the more amplified side of its sound.

© Johnny Loftus /TiVo