Brandtson

Item: Send Us A Signal
Author: Justin Brinker

Send Us A Signal

(2004)

Reviewed by Justin Brinker

Discogs Apple Music

Label The Militia GroupDecapolisJuly 2004

emo indie rock post-hardcore power pop

There are very few things that really get under my skin. At the top of my 'list' would be the group of people who jump on a band's bandwagon after hearing one song, seeing one video, or some so-called scenester telling you, you must own this album. I would lose all credibility, or what little I had, to admit that I have ever been guilty of this. Sure, I have known about Brandtson since I heard "Blindspot" on a 7ball magazine compilation six years ago. I had listened to The Fallen Star Collection and thought that The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World were much better than Brandtson at what they did. I had listened to Dial In Sounds and thought it was a decent record, but nothing incredible. I just didn't understand what all the hype was about. Then it happened, as I popped in Send Us A Signal I felt myself almost daring the band to prove me wrong. They not only proved me wrong, they have made me a rabid fan, and it has yet to leave my CD player.

"Who You Are Now" starts the album off in blistering fashion with its soaring chorus and the tight harmonies, it clocks in at just over two minutes, but it's just enough. "Drawing A Line In The Sand" sunk its melodic hooks in me, and was what made me keep coming back for repeated listens. It has the feel of an 80's adult contemporary song a la The Police, before the distortion kicks in and adds a whole new dynamic to the song as Porter sings "stop waiting there's no answer and no sense in second chances. It's pointless and it's useless, sorries won't get you through this." "Throwing Rocks Tonight" is vintage Brandtson but with more of a poppier edge. The drum fill Jolley uses near the end of the song while Porter sings, "I'm just trying to break my fall I meant you no harm at all" kept running through my head long after the record stopped. The mellow "Escapist" with its dual-vocals and even hand claps intact floats effortlessly into "Just Breathe", one of the darker moments of the record and also the heaviest with lines like "This isn't living. This is merely existing."

I usually find myself bored to tears when a band actually tries to do a rock song, and make it catchy. It usually comes out trite and completely stale, but my attitude has changed after hearing "C'mon Fascista" a song that not only rocks, but also is extremely catchy. This is what sold me on this record.

There is no filler; even the up-tempo songs are done really well. The eerie "Mercy Medical" has a spacey, ethereal feel to it, and brings the album to a halt. The re-recorded version of "Blindspot" off of Letterbox features a string accompaniment and the edge of the older version is replaced with a cleaner sound. "Mexico" teeters the line between pop and rock and does a great job at it, while the power-pop of "Margot" blends the distorted crunchy guitars and vocal harmonies. The album closes out with the mid-tempo "Over and Out", before going into the only weak point of the album: "The Bottle and The Sea." The album's closer sounds like it should belong on a Nickelback album rather than this one. Compared to the rest of the material on Send Us A Signal lyrically, musically, and vocally this song just doesn't hold up, and they would have been much better off to release this on something else.

I never dreamed I would be jumping on a bandwagon and I am more than happy to lose what little credibility I had, but I cannot deny what this album is. Brandtson is demanding you pay attention with this release. They stand heads and shoulders above their peers in a scene that has so desperately needed a breath of life.

Send Us A Signal will garner the top ten lists of many music fans, unless of course you are that elitist scenester who, like me, needed their eyes open.

3.5/4