Paper DragonsThese guys and gal are another new band out of Baltimore that features ex-members of The Spark, Bad Business and Never Enough. This is definitely a different sound than those bands, it's punk rock with more emphasis on the rock. There's more of a mid tempo flow to it and melodic tinge to the overall sound.
I really enjoyed the lyrics. Annihilate The Need is a awesome short song, clocking out at :47. It's a little more sped up musically and vocally than the following tracks. The lyrics are fucking killer: "Hey pretty girl, why are you talking to me? Looking like those girls on T.V. Spending too much money on your clothes and I know that the rest just went up your nose. You don't like my clothes, you say they just ain't right. You'd like to see a better fight-tight, tight, tight. You said I'd look better with longer hair. You obviously can't tell that I don't care. My jeans are old, and my t-shirt stinks. Too bad for you, I don't care what you think. Sorry if I seem condescending, this conversations boring and I'm looking for an ending. Why don't you go back and sit with your friends. I just can't wait until this night ends."
The following two tracks are longer than the opening track, Pictures of Drummers is 2:08 and Fool Me Twice, 2:23. Musically these songs are more mid-tempo and developed in structure. The songs are bare and simple but the little touches of palm muting here and there were nice changes when used sparingly.
This demo was recorded by Chris Camden, who has worked with some pretty awesome bands, so you know this thing sounds good. The clean guitar tone works extremely well with the style these guys are going for and the little nuances of faint feedback were nice touches. The drums are crisp and on point. The bass has just enough presence and uses a nice well rounded tone. The vocals sounded awesome, they are just a tad louder than the rest of the mix but when you listen to this you can understand why.
The layout is decent for a demo nothing flashy but sufficient. The sleeve is printed on regular white printer paper and taped on the sides to hold the office space CD-r. There is a simple black illustration of a jellyfish with the band name printed in the corner and on the back the lyrics are printed around the tentacles. So all in all not bad.
Rating: 3.8/5
Sections Worthy of Replay: Annihilate The Need
Synopsis: This demo was a pleasant surprise. What they're doing isn't new per se but their aren't many bands actually trying their hand at this style so this was a much welcomed change of pace. It's definitely punk rock but the clean cut recording, mid tempo riffs make this more of a unique listen than most.