ArtsEtc.

Band builds ‘City’ upon great beats

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that four songs into this record I was ready to get to the end just so I could trash it. I was absolutely convinced that one spin would be enough to fully critique City of Microphones, the latest from New York-based indie rock band The Exit Strategy.

I also have to admit that I could not have been more wrong.

Whether it was intentional or not, TES’s biggest influence is early At the Drive-In. All the elements are there: the frantic rhythm section, the slightly off-kilter guitar lines, sloganeering lyrics delivered in gang shouts, yelps and whispers and the mid-song tempo shift.

Do not, however, write these guys off as an ATDI clone. TES certainly wears its influences on its collective sleeve, but by no means do they rip off ATDI.

Instead, TES takes ATDI’s chaotic sensibilities and plays as if the band members themselves invented post-hardcore. The conviction heard here screams, “Look, Ma, there’s no one like us!” This is both a blessing and a curse for the Buffalo, N.Y. foursome. On the one hand, post-hardcore is almost dead, and as such, any band that attempts to resurrect it will be greeted with claims of originality, if only borrowed. On the other hand, it is incredibly difficult, even upon first listen of City, to not expect ATDI’s lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala to pop up somewhere on the disc.

All that aside, the songwriting on City is quite sharp throughout the 12 tracks. And not every song is a fast and frenzied affair. In fact, some of the best songs are the ones in which the band slows down a bit and actually settles into a groove.

“The First, The Finest, The Future” is a perfect example. A deliberately repetitious bass line opens the song, onto which the band adds a guitar line reminiscent of a call to arms. The drums just bounce along with the bassline, and then singer Mark Costantino thoughtfully inquires, “Can you say ‘revolution?’/ Can you say ‘reconstruction?’/ Can you say ‘society’s crashing?’/ Can you say ‘a change of ideas?’” Whether he is referring to the current political climate or the music business is anyone’s guess.

That is not to say that all the best songs are the slow ones, however. Opener “X-Rays” finds the band having the most fun on the entire record. The track has all the makings of a fan favorite: a drumroll to open the song, a simple yet effective riff and a catchy-as-hell chorus that demands to be shouted along to.

But production is the best thing about this record. Though it is not indicated in the linear notes or press release, City sounds like it was recorded live in the studio. The mix gives the album an immediacy that has been lacking in modern music, and it also gives the listener the pleasure of being able to hear each instrument in its entirety. There is space between the instruments!

With ATDI done for good, and Fugazi done for now, The Exit Strategy have a legitimate chance to take what seems to be rightfully theirs — namely, the throne of post-hardcore. The sound and lyrics allow them to be the leaders of something, to be sure. Whether it is a riot, a revolution or a resurrection of a dying music genre is up to them.

41/2 stars out of 5