Let's Go Exploring pushes the musical limit
Jeff Talbott
Issue date: 3/18/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
At the end of Bill Waterson's landmark comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," the heroes of the strip stand outside waist deep in snow, marveling about how everything that was once familiar looks new, how possibilities are endless, and how the world is now theirs to explore anew.
The strip ends with Calvin turning to Hobbes and exclaiming, "It's a magical world. Hobbes, ol' buddy…Let's go exploring!" The gentlemen who make up the band Let's Go Exploring encompass that same sense of discovery, optimism, and energy that Calvin and Hobbes feel at the end of the aforementioned comic.
The first track, "Sugafootin'" off their album "Do Work", does a good job preparing the listener for what lies ahead. Distorted guitars and pounding rhythms slice around singer/percussionist Marc Davis, whos raspy, punk infused growl becomes the voice of the album. The opener is equal parts raw, post-hardcore punk and danceable rock sensibilities, and it's this balance of sounds that gives Let's Go Exploring their limitless sense of energy and fun. The blend of style seems playful in the context of the album, since the band clearly has a good time catching you sonically off guard.
The song "Ya Gotta Let The Swamps Be The Swamps" Marc and fellow singer/guitarist Mike Cosden switch up vocal roles, completing each others sentences and creating more than a handful of fist-pumping sing-along moments.
Culminating in an unexpected jam session, bassist Luc Martin and guitarist Andrew Bernard channel their inner Fugazi with a blast of energy that flows seamlessly into "Why I Wear This Hat," and for the next 25 minutes the album rarely loses the energy that is introduced at that moment.
As fruitful as the rest of the record is, the standout moments are secured on the second half of the record.
"Jumpkicks and Backflips" infuses more of the rhythm-heavy guitar and bass we've come to recognize from the band by stopping it all at the apex of the song. The band takes this break in the noise to introduce a slow burn of a buildup (also present on "Bring The Cougar") as well as any post-rock band, the culmination and subsequent wave of noise leads right into "We Love The Samba."
"We Love the Samba" hits with the force of a hurricane. Dizzying percussion, a raw emotional display of vocal abilities, and a complexity of structure showcased by the pummeling of twin guitars and bass is almost as exhausting as it is instantly infectious and replayable.
"Do Work" is the sound of a young band absolutely comfortable in their shoes, confident in the sound they are carving out for themselves and, as they prove in their live shows, unafraid to step outside of the box and challenge themselves musically.
If this is any indication as to the quality of local music that this area is capable of producing, then we obviously need to support and pay more attention to these scenes.
The strip ends with Calvin turning to Hobbes and exclaiming, "It's a magical world. Hobbes, ol' buddy…Let's go exploring!" The gentlemen who make up the band Let's Go Exploring encompass that same sense of discovery, optimism, and energy that Calvin and Hobbes feel at the end of the aforementioned comic.
The first track, "Sugafootin'" off their album "Do Work", does a good job preparing the listener for what lies ahead. Distorted guitars and pounding rhythms slice around singer/percussionist Marc Davis, whos raspy, punk infused growl becomes the voice of the album. The opener is equal parts raw, post-hardcore punk and danceable rock sensibilities, and it's this balance of sounds that gives Let's Go Exploring their limitless sense of energy and fun. The blend of style seems playful in the context of the album, since the band clearly has a good time catching you sonically off guard.
The song "Ya Gotta Let The Swamps Be The Swamps" Marc and fellow singer/guitarist Mike Cosden switch up vocal roles, completing each others sentences and creating more than a handful of fist-pumping sing-along moments.
Culminating in an unexpected jam session, bassist Luc Martin and guitarist Andrew Bernard channel their inner Fugazi with a blast of energy that flows seamlessly into "Why I Wear This Hat," and for the next 25 minutes the album rarely loses the energy that is introduced at that moment.
As fruitful as the rest of the record is, the standout moments are secured on the second half of the record.
"Jumpkicks and Backflips" infuses more of the rhythm-heavy guitar and bass we've come to recognize from the band by stopping it all at the apex of the song. The band takes this break in the noise to introduce a slow burn of a buildup (also present on "Bring The Cougar") as well as any post-rock band, the culmination and subsequent wave of noise leads right into "We Love The Samba."
"We Love the Samba" hits with the force of a hurricane. Dizzying percussion, a raw emotional display of vocal abilities, and a complexity of structure showcased by the pummeling of twin guitars and bass is almost as exhausting as it is instantly infectious and replayable.
"Do Work" is the sound of a young band absolutely comfortable in their shoes, confident in the sound they are carving out for themselves and, as they prove in their live shows, unafraid to step outside of the box and challenge themselves musically.
If this is any indication as to the quality of local music that this area is capable of producing, then we obviously need to support and pay more attention to these scenes.
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