Orange County's
Melee
debut with this brief, bright
Hopeless
EP. Their label and peers might be trading heavily on
punk-pop
, post-
hardcore
,
emo
, or uncharted variations of all three. But this combo is closer in sound and song construction to fellow Golden Staters (and youngsters)
Rooney
, or even
Ben Kweller
-- their
Against the Tide
is bold and fizzy
pop/rock
with a slight alternative tinge, song-based and dominated by vocalist
Chris Cron
and the keys he shares with guitarist
Rick Sanberg
. The big '70s vocal and crashing piano line of
"Routines"
reminds somewhat weirdly (for a band on
, anyway) of
Procol Harum
's
"Conquistador,"
while
"Bells"
is the requisite modern
rock
anthem, all chugging, exuberant guitars and triumphant chorus. Best might be the opener, which begins with a contemplative piano figure and light guitar strum before
Cron
's vocal comes in to follow the swelling percussion into a chorus worthy of
Rivers Cuomo
. Besides,
"Mestizos Love Song"
is a great song title for a record that looks like it was decorated with art recycled from a yellowed thrift-store romance novel.
's eventual full-length should be really interesting. ~ Johnny Loftus