When I heard that these guys were good friends with Jawbone Hill, I knew I'd like them. When I heard they regularly opened for bands like Pedro the Lion, Velour 100, and Joe Christmas, I knew many others would like them as well (maybe you caught them on the New Band Stage at Cornerstone?).
Mack, the Coffee Man serves up their own special-brewed indie-rock/emo espresso, sure to perk up those drifting to sleep from today's music. Although less of a priority now than in the past, the band specializes in tricky, attention-getting drumming and intricate bass/guitar work. Like Jawbone Hill, there are many beautiful lead guitar melodies accenting the emotive vocals. One criticism of the emo scene is that often the vocals sound overly similar, but Mack, the Coffee Man manages to combine the familiar higher pitch, nasal, pain-filled pattern with just enough of their own style to stand apart. On the flip side, by the end of the album even these vocals get tiresome in an emotionally-draining sort of way.
This is the perfect band to mix moods with live on a Friday night, sipping a warm beverage with your girl or guy in a dark, cozy coffee shop. There are only eight songs on this fifty minute long album, which means there are a lot of instrumental interludes between lyrics to enhance the overall effect. For example, the last song, a delayed (only for a few seconds) hidden track, is about ten minutes in length--not for lovers of musical immediacy.
The songs are introspective recollections and journal musings, obviously personal and emotional for the writer. "October's Anthem" meditates on what can be learned from the good and bad of life together, "Dragnet" is a steamy love song, and "Superpowers in the Four Corners" acknowledges the deep influence of three men on the writer and how hard and sad it is that they all live apart now ("I've never loved my brothers this much").
Mack, the Coffee Man is yet another of those bands that warms the insides of a true music fan. Just when you're really down about all the junk music out there, a band like this comes along and reminds you why you still love those curious sounds put together with words. Fans of Pedro the Lion, Jawbone Hill, Sunny Day Real Estate, Damien Jurado, Joe Christmas, Hayden, etc. can add this band to their list of favorites. You'll smile, cry, and thoughtfully nod your head as you listen along.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
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