Football, etc.

The Draft

Written by: DR on 20/06/2011 18:01:11

It's hard to learn a lot about a band after only hearing odd songs here and there, yet after reviewing only a few - literally, one double A-side single and one split to which they only contributed one song - Football, etc. had somehow managed to leave their mark on me. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for the emo-revival music coming out through Count Your Lucky Stars, or maybe it's because those few songs felt like they were leading up to something good.

As it turns out, they were leading up to something good: their full-length debut. Although their name implies influence from short-lived yet seminal band American Football, their style is at the other end of the emo spectrum. Football, etc. are nowhere near as twinkly, intricate or experimental; the album is only thirty-minutes long, so they write songs that are short, sweet and laid-back with emotional and charming vocals. It's not particularly intricate and they barely experiment with it - but why would they? It's a winning formula.

The most impressive aspect of "The Draft" is vocalist Lindsay Minton's enchanting ability to pro-long and draw-out her voice to drift airily over the musicianship. It's hard to narrow down the stand-out moments, but the ones that have stayed with me after what must be twenty listens are "Safety" and "Mouthguard". The final chorus of "Safety" shows how it seems she has a never-ending air supply in her lungs - she just keeps holding and holding the note, only to take it even further up the scale; "Mouthguard" begins with a rare occurrence of math-rock guitar-work, but Minton steals your attention with a simple opening lyric of "Put in a mouthguard", but by sustaining and bending the notes she manages to make it last, by my count, a whopping twenty-five seconds.

"The Draft" is obviously a record rooted in 90s emo, but it doesn't sound too nostalgic to point where it is dated, because it also draws from modern indie, and what we're left with is a good debut album that knows how to use its influences but without relying on them so much that there's no room for anything new. It's a pretty simple record, but isn't there beauty in that? Fans of emo, don't miss this one.

8

Download: Safety, Mouthguard
For The Fans of: Mineral, Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), Tigers Jaw
Listen: Myspace

Release Date 15.03.2011
Count Your Lucky Stars



*This album is currently available for "name your price" download on their Bandcamp page*

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