MARDEEN Read Less Minds (Aporia) Rating: NNN
These East-Coast kids deserve a pat on the back for this record. It’s tight-sounding alt-rock that has some neat melodic and structural moments. What stops RLM from being a groundbreaker, though, are the radio-rock vocals (the beginning of Howling is a little too reminiscent of Blink 182’s All The Small Things) and a few other turns to the centre.
However, the trio also deserve credit for a kick-ass bass line on City Lights and the successful experimentation on We’re Moving Eyes. Hopefully, they’ll continue to write in this direction, since the potential for something really cool is definitely here.
