Atticus

This is the third compilation CD brought out by Side One Dummy Records, and Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge clothing label Atticus, and once again showcases some fine up and coming talent as well as some already established artists.

This CD includes Blink 182’s ‘Not Now’ which was previously only available online and I really love this track – it truly is a fine Blink track and shows the band at their best. It is full of energy, fun and the general excitement that I have come to expect of the band over the years. It’s a really cool track, well worth checking out if you’ve not yet heard it. Other highlights on this CD include Funeral For A Friend’s incredible ‘She Drove Me To Daytime Television,’ an acoustic track from pop punk legends MxPx in the form of ‘Grey Skies Turn Blue,’ and Mae’s ‘This Time Is The Last Time.’ I was particularly excited by the Mae track on display here – they really are a strong talent, but in the past I have somehow managed to miss out on them. My first experience of the band has clearly been a positive one, as this track really is amazing – some may call it Emo, but when I think of Emo – I think of bands such as Taking Back Sunday (who also happen to appear on this compilation) that are producing complete rubbish to try and earn scene points. Mae are clearly at the top of their game, and I can’t wait to see them on May the 2nd at Give It A Name 05 – I’m sure that they will be one of the highlights of the day. Another band playing Give It A Name featured here are Rise Against – an incredible Punk band that are well worth checking out.

There are 24 tracks on this CD, and only very few that aren’t worth listening (the Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, and Motion City Soundtrack songs spring to mind.) Other than that, this is a pretty amazing compilation CD and features a strong list of established bands such as Blink 182, Alexisonfire, MxPx, Funeral For A Friend, Piebald, and Death Cab For Cutie. It is a fine display of talent, and once again the clothing company have done well in putting out a strong compilation which will raise awareness of good bands to fans of such rubbish as Taking Back Sunday, and Brand New.

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Atticus are a Loughborough based band that play powerful Rock music. They have been together for four years now and in this time have built up a strong live sound by gigging at every opportunity.

This is a three track demo from the band showing off their powerful rock sound and I must say that what they have produced here is really good! By the name they have chosen I was expecting some kind of Blink182 carbon copy but this band are nothing like them and have a sound that is totally brilliant. They play Alt Rock, and they play it extremely well, with powering bass lines, fiery guitars, great drumming, and amazingly strong vocals. They have a lot to offer and in this demo have provided 3 awesome tunes that have style, passion and flair. It may only be a three track CD but clocks in at just under 12 minutes so it is not as if the songs are short, they are not too long however and I think that the band have found exactly the right length to have their songs at. They know exactly what they are trying to do with their music and sound confident doing what they do. I love the sound that the band have produced as it is hard hitting in places while also managing to keep a mellow rock feel to it.

My favourite of the three tunes is ‘Reasons’ as it is the hardest hitting of the three in my opinion and has some awesome guitar work in it. There are also some great bass lines, strong drumming, and near on perfect vocals! I really like the vocals in this tune and feel that the vocals, and the guitar riffs are what make this song stand out from the rest. They have obviously put a lot of time and effort into this one and as a result have pulled off an extremely fine tune, played with a distinct passion.

I think that this band definitely have a good thing going as the sound which they create is absolutely amazing. I am sure that this band will go a long way in the scene as the passion is there, and the talent is there as well. If these guys continue to gig whenever possible then before long they will have an enormous fan base and be at the forefront of the Alt Rock scene.

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