The album that I am reviewing is the June 2003 demo by a
band called Boss Tweeter. There are two members in this band, they are male,
they play guitar.
The first track, "Blast off, Get off" is a surf rockish number that clocks in at 2:49.
Imagine The Ventures hanging out on a street corner during the mid nineties. One guitar keeps a steady rhythm that
shifts throughout the song, the other guitar plays simple sounding, yet amazingly appropriate lead parts. This track turned out extremely well in spite of their lack of a drummer.
Track two, "Hellbent", is a straightforward rock song with vocals that flow very well with it. The first thing I thought when I heard this song was, wow, someone here really knows how to write leads. The chorus riff, as simple as it is, fits perfectly. Where the lack of percussion
played no negative part in "Blast off, Get off," "Hellbent" would be improved greatly with the addition of drums.
Although the guitar work on "Insomnia Jam" was nice, this track is probably the weakest on the demo. As with all the tracks that contain them, the lyrics are above average.
This song was just what some would say, mediocre. Aside from the fact
that the flow seemed to stumble in spots, this song was just not as good as the others on the CD.
The fourth track is a beautiful slow acoustic number known to the band and fans alike as "Fit the Pieces." The sparse leads carried the song through the intricate changes in dynamics. The backup vocals were put in just right location, as were the leads.
Though bgvs and lead parts did not abound here, they appeared exactly and only when needed. "Fit the Pieces" is one of those songs you listen to when you just want to lay down and stop caring.
Track five is called "Intermission." It is the shortest song, ending at 2:15.
This is another instrumental track. It is exactly what you would expect
from Boss Tweeter after hearing their one other instrumental. Short, sweet, and
crafted oh so well. This has a jazzy feel and is pulled off quite nicely. They manage to keep it interesting throughout while cutting it off before it had a
chance to get boring.
"Land of Forgotten Sun," is probably my favorite track off this small, gray, plastic circle. The music and lyrics work together amazingly. The acoustic rhythm and clean, electric leads were great. It sounds at first like a lone coffee shop beatnik playing an acoustic guitar, when
all of the sudden, a strange man wearing a trench coat in a dark corner starts playing an electric guitar while smoking an
herbal cigarette. But after a few seconds you realize these people know exactly
what they are doing to make this song too beautiful.
The seventh track in succession is called "Pedigree." This is another
rock and roll song with a few more intricacies than "Hellbent." This track also
has some good dynamic switches throughout. The biggest thing this song showed,
however, was Boss Tweeter's dire need of a drummer. On the other tracks, they
were able compensate pretty well, but this song just screams for percussion. All
the lack of drums aside, this is a very good song.
"Catch the Ghosts," is, pardon the pun, a haunting track and a great closer for the demo. This song is darker than
its acoustic cousin "Fit the Pieces." It builds up to slowly and subtly that
you dont even notice the climax until its over and you start heading down again. All
around, another solid track from Boss Tweeter.
In my opinion, this was a grand first release by this band. They just
really, really need drums. One good thing I noticed about this release is that
they managed to be eclectic without being the sample butter spread over a whole loaf of French bread.
All in all, Boss Tweeter = Good, Boss Tweeter + Drums = Gooder.
-Ryan Johnson