Mineral
End Serenading
Crank!
Welcome to another huge wave of the E-word, that’s EMO for those of you new to the sub-genre of punk that all of the right people are forecasting as the next underground trend to see major mainstream success. We are about to be overtaken by the disciples of Sunny Day Real Estate yet again. And this time around, the numbers are growing.
Mineral is arguably one of the leaders of the Sunny Day-inspired horde. They actually pull it off quite well on their first full-length. That record tore me up for a while, but wore off quickly. My thicker skin this time around isn’t allowing End Serenading to sink in. That’s not because I don’t want records to sink in, this one just doesn’t supply the goods. The musicianship and songwriting have improved, but the guts are lacking. You can’t pull off this emo thing without having some of that stuff fueling you. If End Serenading is anything, it’s gutless. For a genre that is supposed to be about pouring your heart out on the floor, you run the risk of looking foolish without a fire burning in you. Mineral manage to survive with looking foolish, but it’s a close call. Crank! A Record Company, 1223 Wilshire Blvd. #173, Santa Monica, CA 90403
