Words: Ryan Getz
I try my best to prioritize the review of bands based on the music alone and not who I know. At times, I do get referrals and my curiosity is piqued based on word of mouth – but isn’t that how most people discover stuff under the radar? Aren’t all forms of media a kind of word of mouth? In any case – I have no idea how M. Crane came across Tuned Up. I simply saw an email from an independent artist and was intrigued by what I heard. No backstory, no hook in the email. The music alone had me hooked.
This should tell you something.
“Invention” features a wailing guitar that reeks of just as much, if not more, desperation than the singer himself. It’s the sort of poignancy that begs to be turned up. People usually like to run the other way from sadness, and in this song the emotion will have them running toward the band.
The song “Lover’s Cords” displays a more conventional sort of poignancy – soft, slow, and contemplative. It’s the sort of thing that might be best taken in moderate doses, and will not hit you the same way depending on the circumstances.
The one thing that gives me a little bit of pause with this record is the band’s use of “movements.” While the jams are fun, the intro track and third track’s dubbing as “movements” suggests a pattern in the release that isn’t there. No more interludes follow “Movement Three.” However, the flow of the EP is awesome and the transition into “There Is No Wall” is thrilling, especially when the crunch of the guitars kick in amidst the falsetto.
When push comes to show, the Tucson band has a little something for many different kinds of rock fans. The emotive vocals push in the direction of Matt Bellamy at times, and dreamy soundscapes meet loud rock and an overarching air of poignancy all throughout. M. Crane is worth a listen in this project, the Sweethearts EP.
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