Rodriguez
Swing Like A Metronome (Devil in the Woods)
By: Alex Steininger
With indie-pop becoming quite popular as of late, bands seem to be turning down the volume to churn out music that is still potent and aggressive, but in a quiet, delicate way. This is the approach San Luis Obispo, California's three-piece Rodriguez approach their music. It is soft and delicate, while being emotionally charged and revealing, and it works."Sights or Sounds" gets you bouncing for a moment with a jumpy bass line intro, and then the vocals come in and the song takes on a whole new life. It just sits there patiently, moving along minding its own business, while you sit there and try to find out what it is all about. It creeps on you, slowly, of course, before diving into a bit harsher waters -- showing you this band has the energy to rock, but the restraint and control to keep with their original vision.
"Fountain" gives you another taste of their rockin' side as they start off fast and heavy, before converting back into their shy, gentle rock vibes. They do, however, throw in a few yells here and there and add some tension, but they always come back down and keep things laid-back.
"Loretta" kicks a little country out your way, as they take their indie-pop foundation and spice it up with some added flavors. Still soft, the country tingle changes the mood a bit and gets your body shaking. You might even find yourself dancing if you don't watch it.
"Take A Rest" dives right back into some country. With their easy-going pop touch always present, and the indie lo-fi touch keeping the song on path, the country is nicely packaged around some of their poppy beats and soft melodies, but is left to breath on its own.
Ending with "Tom Violence," the band pays tribute to their forefathers, Sonic Youth, by covering them. Back to their dizzy indie-pop, the band lays it all on the line in a non-confrontational manner and finds results in their "take it easy" approach to everything.
The band knows how to step up to the plate and lay down the rock, and they can also sit back and just go with the flow. Their debut is a collection of fifteen tracks that don't pressure, don't overwhelm, but still make enough noise to be heard. I'll give it a B.
