Stand-Up Guy In Fixation, Conspire
Distortion Project Records May 22nd, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Dont ever judge an album by its cover. Dont ever judge a band by its name either. With Stand-Up Guy, I learned both lessons the hard way. Im grateful to the gods, though, that In Fixation, Conspire is boatloads better than what I thought it would be. Imagine the spunkier cousin of Isis, Neurosis, and/or Cult of Luna, and thats sort of what the band is like.
While the aforementioned groups have the tendency to ebb and flow, or purposefully meander if you will, Stand-Up Guy are much more straightforward. Thankfully, theyve got the energy to match as well. A composition like Fra Diavalo! has a good crunch to the guitar tones, and the screaming vocalizations are tantalizing. Notable also are the myriad stylings of McClures and Booths vocals. You arent going to find vox of one variety on In Fixation, Conspire that fact is partly what makes the album multi-layered and subsequently formidable. To cite Fra Diavalo! once again, the opus is mid-paced but is comfortable in its acquisition of ground. Burning Paper in Bleeding Hand, similarly, begins with a confident riff and allows clean vox to accompany. Briefcase Opening really works at building to the climax, however, in true Isis form. The Constant Gossip of the Workplace commences slowly enough, and reminds me of Deftones at their peak. The screams that enter at the 0:45 minute mark are heartfelt, emotive renderings. In addition, its just bass and drums that provide the background to the aforementioned scenario. Other songs such as Swandive and Longstoryshort are just good. Sections of In Fixation, Conspire are reminiscent of an incredibly slow Spitfire.
In any case, Stand-Up Guy have given us a great album, which definitely catapults the worth of their meager discography. This was released back in May, but its still a fresh endeavor. After all, I dont distribute 8.5s like a health center distributes condoms. Now, if I could only do something about that name and cover art
8.5/10
Official Stand-Up Guy website
Official Distortion Project Records website
Distortion Project Records May 22nd, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Dont ever judge an album by its cover. Dont ever judge a band by its name either. With Stand-Up Guy, I learned both lessons the hard way. Im grateful to the gods, though, that In Fixation, Conspire is boatloads better than what I thought it would be. Imagine the spunkier cousin of Isis, Neurosis, and/or Cult of Luna, and thats sort of what the band is like.
While the aforementioned groups have the tendency to ebb and flow, or purposefully meander if you will, Stand-Up Guy are much more straightforward. Thankfully, theyve got the energy to match as well. A composition like Fra Diavalo! has a good crunch to the guitar tones, and the screaming vocalizations are tantalizing. Notable also are the myriad stylings of McClures and Booths vocals. You arent going to find vox of one variety on In Fixation, Conspire that fact is partly what makes the album multi-layered and subsequently formidable. To cite Fra Diavalo! once again, the opus is mid-paced but is comfortable in its acquisition of ground. Burning Paper in Bleeding Hand, similarly, begins with a confident riff and allows clean vox to accompany. Briefcase Opening really works at building to the climax, however, in true Isis form. The Constant Gossip of the Workplace commences slowly enough, and reminds me of Deftones at their peak. The screams that enter at the 0:45 minute mark are heartfelt, emotive renderings. In addition, its just bass and drums that provide the background to the aforementioned scenario. Other songs such as Swandive and Longstoryshort are just good. Sections of In Fixation, Conspire are reminiscent of an incredibly slow Spitfire.
In any case, Stand-Up Guy have given us a great album, which definitely catapults the worth of their meager discography. This was released back in May, but its still a fresh endeavor. After all, I dont distribute 8.5s like a health center distributes condoms. Now, if I could only do something about that name and cover art
8.5/10
Official Stand-Up Guy website
Official Distortion Project Records website
