The Musik Group [CD, 2008]

Hook-filled pop is nothing new to FensePost--and likely nothing new to its readers.  But where coverage tends to run the gamut from current hype bands scaling the wide spectrum of indie rock to lovable indiepop and twee from around the world, Love In October differs slightly from the usual suspects.  This is a fact found early in their debut LP, Pontus, The Devil, And Me.  The guitars are much heavier and fit the mold of more mainstream pop rock.  The songs are packed with intensity and reflect an underlying emotional darkness.

The album isn't without its shortcomings; "I Dream Of Marie Antoinette" and "Method To Madness" aren't immediately as gripping as others off the album.  "Viva La Revolución", with its loud guitars, on the other hand, makes up for such shortcomings, as does the Swedish "VI Går Till Stranden".  The song not only slows things down quite a bit in comparison to the rest of the album, it also features a melodica and vocals in the Widman brother's native Swedish language.  

"Circa 1989" is the album gem.  The keyboard hook is what does it, along with the catchy guitar riffs and head-nodding vocal patterns.  "A Day In The Life Of" and "Find Me Sunshine" take me back a few summers to The Ataris major-label debut, So Long, Astoria.  Several tunes off Pontus, The Devil, And Me fit the genre The Ataris as so many other groups filled at that time (and potentially these traits continue today, as I've been out of touch with such music since around that time).  But it's tunes like "Petrula The Destroyer" that distance Love In October from the mainstream as a broader songwriting style definitely doesn't follow the standard.

EXPERIENCE

Love In October: Circa 1989 [mp3]

BAND LINKS

Love In October: Homepage

Love In October: MySpace

TRACK LIST