PLAYGROUND BOSTON

A three-way marriage.

That’s legal in Massachusetts, right?

Well, that’s exactly what you get out of The Indobox’s Adventure Rock:  a three-way marriage of electric, electronic, and acoustic as they switch at will from the passionately organic to the grindingly distorted and onward to the pleasantly & head-bobbing-ly danceable.

That also means there’s no way to single out any one instrumentalist or even vocalist.

Quinn Ferree’s natural drums give way periodically to drum-machine sounds that ramp up and down in the backdrop of tracks like “Reading,” and “Part II.”  Guitars provide stabbing rhythms and monolithic chords in the background while bright synth lines decorate a track. At other times, those same guitarists take the front seat, dial on the delay, and swim their way into your ears. The vocal styles and sounds also change throughout the record thanks to multiple singers, making for a further varied experience.

There’re rumors of a “jam” aspect to this band, and I intend to investigate this at their live show at Harper’s Ferry on February 6th. Not being a big jam-band fan (locked in a miasmic studio during the Disco Biscuits’ Señor Boombox sessions was not exactly my idea of a good time), I still find that it’s nice to pick up an album and not just hear the same song played at different tempos (if you’re lucky) by a band. It’s similarly very refreshing to digest a different atmosphere every time a track goes by.  Some bands just play the show onto the tape, but The Indobox really seem to shoot for a superhuman experience that gives fans something different to enjoy on their own speakers and headphones. Be prepared to go on a minor journey during the electro-arpeggiated interlude midway through “Part II,” and transverse to a guitar-rock stadium at the finale of “The Deep.” Give yourself time to listen through the entire record -you’ll be well rewarded as “Cinema For Children” infects your brain with catchy guitar-chirps and more great vocal textures & melodies on your way out into the world.

That all being said….

What this album has:

- Great melodies from guitars and keyboards (be they punchy, swirling, or spacy) to keep your ears following new hooks in between vocal lines

- Great vocal sounds and the occasional lyric that sticks out in an ephemeral, “This guys gets me!” kind of way

- Grooves, grooves, grooves

What this album needs:

More songs that meld everyone’s talents together.  Making these flips from one flavor to another, one vocalist to another, from guitar- to synth-driven, and from ambient to raw is very unique, but I’d like at least one or two tracks to turn me on my head and collide all elements of the record together. This would make a more cohesive tapestry of all of the group’s styles and sounds….  a little like that rug that really ties the room together.

Boston-based fans of such bands as Primal Scream, Stereolab, and South will find themselves pleased at some of our own boys doing such a bang-up job of providing something more honest and tangible than just another over-polished, emo/punk/alt/rock/hop/dance single-after-single.

Want to check out The Indobox for yourself? They’re playing Saturday, February 6th at Harpers Ferry in Allston. Tickets can be purchased here, or click here to take advantage of the ticket giveaway we’re featuring on our site!

Buy Adventure Rock on iTunes or CDbaby

The Indobox