Album Review :
The Make - This Box EP
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: The Make
Album: This Box EP
Label: Suspended Sunrise Recordings
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Reviewer: Eric Pettersson
Tracklisting
- Get It
- This Box
- Color
- Spin City
- Bad
Any fan of Surrogate will tell you, it’s a lucky thing that Number One Gun broke up. Had that band not split, guitarist Christopher Keene and drummer Jordan Mallory would never have been able to craft those clever and heart-wrenching alt-country tunes. But the other half of Number One Gun (lead singer Jeff Schneeweis and bassist Trevor Sellers) did not disappeared forever. Back together with a new band called The Make, these two join Sarah Ann from See You Soon to create catchy, melodic indie pop that, like Surrogate, moves into totally new territory for fans of Number One Gun.
While their styles are very different, The Make does seem to follow a few cues from Surrogate. Both seem to have abandoned the strictures of Christian rock, no longer catering to youth group expectations. Instead, they offer something a little older, boosting both maturity and creativity to produce a blend of heartfelt humanity that talks openly about life without showing any concern for the way these thoughts and feelings might be received by others.
Musically, This Box EP is potentially ahead of its time. The choppy guitars combine with pleading vocals, thick melodies and upbeat drums for an advanced style that is obviously fun and just as emotional. My biggest complaint is with the title track, which is a pretty great song all around except for one thing. This is the third song on an album I’ve reviewed for IVM that contains the line “stay the hell away from me.” Now, I’m not saying The Make intentionally copied Farewell Flight or Lorien. Chances are, they never even heard the two other songs I’m talking about. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve heard those songs and that it’s annoying to hear the same lyric used by so many different bands. But at least they didn’t say, “If you love someone, let them go,” because I’m pretty sure I’ve heard something like that on even more songs.
Overall: Jeff Schneeweis continues to prove himself a capable musician, entering and even creating new ground with his latest outfit, The Make. While I’m not sure what that band name means, I am sure that these catchy indie rockers will find a new home in quite a few of our readers’ stereos.
