Masters of the Hemisphere
I am not a Freemdoom
Kindercore
Is Kindercore Records moving out of twee country? Perhaps. Kings of Convenience and Masters of the Hemisphere are staking claims in melodic indie-folk-pop for their Athens-bound label. Following up their self-titled EP with I am not a Freemdoom, Masters display their knack for decent pop song construction. The album contains a number of leisurely, meandering songs that might just be the easy-listening end of the emo-indie connection. Not necessarily a bad thing. But it would be nice if Sean Rawls would abstain from the squawking, whiny vocals. And it’s a little disappointing that Masters play it so safe, not at all willing to move outside the confines of their comfort zone. There are a few intriguing numbers, including, “So What About Freemdoom,” “The New Freemdoom,” and “The Fearsome Duo.” Other songs, while fairly charming, don’t have much to really set them apart from each other or, for that matter, from a whole host of other 18-23 year old bands with similar mediocre visions of pop music.
Kindercore Records, P.O. Box 461, Athens, GA 30603; http://www.kindercore.com
