Purchase, NY’s lo-fi pop loving LVL UP (featuring members of underrated emo band SIRS) Put this, their new record up on their bandcamp in October of last year. As is the case with the vastness of Bandcamp, great records can get lost in the sea of bands all uploading their music for free. For LVL UP however this poses no problem as “Space Brothers” on first listens contains enough spark, tuneful noise and above all impressive songs to raise them above the limitless number of bands plugging in and uploading their music on the newest way to put their blood sweat and songs out to the internet’s music hungry millions.
Heavily influenced by 90’s indie rock, sebadoh, pavement and the nasal vocals of dinosaur jr’s j Mascis in particular , “Space Brothers” starts with the jangle punk of “Roman Candle” with its clattering guitars and lyrics of suburban teenage adventure. Clocking in at exactly one minute it’s the trailer for the rest of the album. A short, sharp commotion of frayed edges safety pinned together with an adolescent garage band in the mid 90’s idea of what they sound like in their heads as they play too loud, too out of tune in dull, identical suburban streets.
For every fast, riotous power popper such as album highlights “Bro Chiller” with its sound a homage to Miracle Legion frontman Mark Mulcahy’s score for the surreal nickelodeon TV show “The Adventures Of Pete & Pete” or the superchunk worshipping “Apocolyptophobia”. There are songs which take in LVL UP’s love for bands like the Pixies (the Frank Black croon of “nightshade”) and the sebadoh slacker fuzz of “Rotten ones”. The Slower, more dynamic bursts of sound that leaves more room to breathe than the faster, more direct songs.
There will undoubtedly be criticism for the shortness of the majority of the songs on “Space Brothers”. For some there will be complaints that too many songs are over before they have a real chance to find their feet. Through repeated listens however, you will find that ultimately that’s the charm of this album, it’s an uninterrupted jam session of LVL UP’s record collection and if the listener grew up with the same cd’s in their Discman (its actually on sale on cassette from their bandcamp) it’s a guarantee of a nostalgic 28 minutes.
http://lvlup.bandcamp.com/ http://doubledoublewhammy.bigcartel.com/product/lvl-up-space-brothers-cassette
https://www.facebook.com/pages/LVL-UP/225155120882216
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