“crumbox”
Crumbox
Map of the Sky
Time Bomb
The Buzzcocks they ain’t, but Crumbox offers hardy portions of syrupy, guitar-drenched power-pop on Map of the Sky . Paying cursory nods to Weezer, Archers of Loaf, and Superchunk, Crumbox walks that paper-thin line between indie-rock cardiac arrest and glistening major label implosion, a seemingly fitting pedigree for such fare to work effectively. And effective Map of the Sky is, hooks as tight as a duck’s bottom (they’re waterproof, y’know), but this efficacy also extends to the whitewash of genericism that permeates the album. Effectively generic? A damn shame, I say, because in a day and age where pop is at its most disposable, you need to stick your neck out pretty far to make accessibility a valid and singular artistic statement, and Crumbox’s neck just isn’t long enough.
Time Bomb Recordings, 225 Lafayette Street #1006, New York, NY 10012; http://www.timebombrecordings.com
