It is Foo's pleasure to cook this one up for you nice and spicy!! Twenty30 is a rock outfit from Philly, PA. But, there's always a little punk feeling associated with much of the Philly sound and this band rings true. But, don't let that scare you if you have an aversion to punk - there's plenty of rock here to satisfy. In fact, it's not a sound that's easy to capture, mixing punk so smoothly with Rock and vice-versa is not something that done easily. The blend of genres is present on almost every song, except for the downbeat "Choke" which is a bit more a ballad and features guest performer Karl Rieders. In contrast, the single off their Departure EP release, "SayItLikeYouMeanIt" is Foo's favorite so far.
So, that being said, let's jump into the wok with that song and find out what makes it cook.
This four piece (perhaps 5) shows a certain level of dynamics that are seldom heard with genres such as punk and rock. This songs got a great energizing drum intro followed by vocals that start with the soft personal touch. But, meanwhile the guitar chunks in with some great rhythms that elude to the energy to come. And when it does it gets loud and full of emotion. Somewhere between a few minor chords in the chorus and the "come down with me" lyric, Foo gets a great mix of Dinosaur Jr. and Minor Threat. Excellent! - (two of Foo's Favs).
As we turn to the physical audio of this already tight unit, Foo feels only a twinge of critique is necessary. The audio is hot and mixed fairly well. There's a feeling that this recording was made in the hybrid studio/live methodology. Which is good, but always hard to capture the complete magic. It's true re-doing the vocals after the fact always adds a polished feel that very professional. However, the punk sound has always been home made, with that live sound and everything pushed together in a sonically magic saturation. Foo's suggestion for cooking this up would be to subtly double the vox. If it can be isolated, get a good live track with the band. Then overdub the polished vox on top and blend it in. Say perhaps there a bit more of the overdubbed track in the softer beginning and then switch the two on the louder chorus parts.
Anyways, Foo thinks that this band is off to a great start and sees many fans in their future.
Keep it up!!
FooStats(out of 10):
Audio Quality: 7
Originality: 8
Spicey factor: 9
Chops: 7
Total: 31
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