The Static Age - I/O
Rating
RIYL
The PoliceThe Cure
M83
Release Date
09/22/2009
Label
Flix RecordsTracklist
01. Damages02. Already Dead
03. Daughters and Sons
04. These Days
05. Closing of the Year
06. Rorschach
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The Static Age are simply one of the best bands doing what they’re doing. Since their 2005 debut Neon Nights Electric Lives, they have managed to produce two full-lengths full of 80’s throwbacks and post-punk sensibilities that always keep you humming. Even though I/O was released last September, we’re not getting around to reviewing the EP until now, but let’s look at this review as a reminder that the band is still out there today crafting nostalgia for the John Hughes fan club.
Each of the six tracks fills a unique space, giving the band opportunities to showcase their various skills and demonstrating what an EP should always do: represent the best of what an artist has to offer. The band hasn’t strayed far from the sounds of their wonderful second album Blank Screens, and that is in no way a complaint. “Damages” brings to mind a moody and energetic version of The Police, “Daughters and Sons” shows a more aggressive side to the band, and “These Days” plays like an uptempo pop-punk tune carefully traced in eyeliner. “Already Dead” whispers in and out of the speakers drenched in synth and echoes, while “Closing of the Year” demands relaxation. The EP closes with “Rorschach,” immersing the listener in layers of electronics and gentle guitars and fading into the background.
Like any good EP it’s over before you know it, but the band has such a knack for constructing seemingly effortless melodies that the replay value is very high. The Static Age wears their influences on their black sleeves, but that has yet to stop them from making fantastic music.
--Jeff VanVickle
Comments
Minnesota
I thought this was a slight step back from the awesomeness of Blank Screens. Still good (and they're still one of the only bands playing this style well), but not quite as good as what they've previously done.
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