The Beatings
6hz
self-released
Some heavy names were dropped in trying to get me to listen to this CD, names like Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, and The Pixies. Elite enough company to make any self-styled music critic both apprehensive and intrigued. The good news is that The Beatings belong in that elite company, their sound having obvious roots in that fertile, mid-to-late-•80s period of what was then called •progressive• or •new• music (before the term •alternative rock• was coined, much less overused to the point of meaninglessness). Even better, the band never sounds dated or derivative – despite wearing their influences on their sleeves, there•s something fresh and new about these six songs. Perhaps it•s because nobody•s making this kind of music anymore – not even the people that were the obvious inspirations – but moreover, the band seems really interested in building on the base that the earlier bands provide and taking it to the next level. So call The Beatings the heirs to the throne, and with challenging, dissonent-yet-melodic, and impassioned songs like •Brighter Than Bright,• •Experimental Test Monkey,• and •Wring Me Out,• they deserve it. An excellent EP that deserves attention – we could use a few more bands like The Beatings in these teen pop-dominated days!
The Beatings; http://www.thebeatings.com
