For those of you who thought I did stuff like have a bunch of reviews ready to go for my impromptu "A NJ Release A Day, All Week" thing, this one should disabuse you of that notion. I haven't even decided if "All Week" means Monday through Friday or Monday through Sunday. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow.
Anyway, I soldiered through an encroaching illness last night to head over to Wonder Bar to catch the third and final preliminary round of WRAT's Jersey Rock band search. The second band on last night's bill (and the winner, moving onto the finals in February) was Prehistoric Forest. That reminded me that the Toms River five-piece had released their second LP back in November, so I decided to review it today. ...Just as I'd planned all along.
Now, this could be a case of not knowing what I'm talking about; but, no matter what you thought about the hype around the big indie rock bands of the early aughts, I feel like there was still some "rock" to be found in "Indie Rock." All of those albums from Spoon, Arcade Fire, Interpol, and The Strokes (with their unprecedented, and infuriating to some, five-album deal with RCA) were guitar-centric rock records. Things in the world of mainstream indie rock appear to have moved in a more easy-listening, less edgy, more bleepity-bloopity direction since then. Even some of the bands I just mentioned have altered their sound as the times have changed. But lots of the sounds of ten or fifteen years ago are what drew me to "mainstream indie rock" and, to an extent, provided the early inspiration for this blog.
Prehistoric Forest's Pulling Teeth is a throwback to the time when what was popular in indie rock was still rock. From the opening keyboard sounds of "All a Dream," Pulling Teeth feels like something familiar. Like a classic album that's been in your collection for over a decade.
Guitarist Nick Gianatiempo has professed his love for the guitar interplay of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr. His work with fellow guitarist D.J. Hodgson on tracks like "Into the Night," "Point of No Return," and "Pulling Teeth" makes it clear that he's not shy about revealing his influences. But on tracks like "Sanctuary" and "Midnight," the band trade the staccato guitar hooks for something a little more languid and expansive, showing that they're more than a Strokes tribute band. Album closer "Thunder Loud" is almost proggy in its complexity.
Throughout the record, the kind of sideways vocal delivery of singer Vince Matthews gives things a bit of that rock swagger that's missing from a good deal of current popular indie rock. On stage, Matthews and the rest of the band don't bother with the stiff "stand and play." Instead, bassist Dustin James often plays from his knees as the pair of guitarists and drummer Mike Walsh give it everything they've got, Matthews bouncing around like a pinball.
Make no mistake, the songs on Pulling Teeth are accessible and hook-laden. We're not talking about black metal or hardcore here; but it is refreshing to hear a band making songs that can grab you, that still have an edge, delivered with the sneer and the heart of rock.
Pulling Teeth is out now on Prehistoric Forest's own Byrdhouse Records.
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