October 22, 2008

Heartsrevolution, Switchblade EP

Heartsrevolution

Switchblade EP

(iheartcomix)

www.iheartcomix.com

It's kind of a bummer when timing blows a band's shot at the big time. Boys Noize will always be the band that came stateside after Justice blew up, even if Oi! Oi! Oi! is just as good as (if not better than) †. Likewise, Heartsrevolution is bound to find themselves the band that came after Crystal Castles, even though Crystal Castle's eponymous LP was, despite stellar singles, an inconsistent affair, and the five tracks of the Switchblade EP are uniformly kickass.

"Switchblade" starts with a harmonic hum that soon bursts into French-style electro-rock bombast, providing the lift for vocalist Lo to provide the melodic balance to producer Ben's mash of power electronics and electro-punk aggression. Yes, it's a boy-girl duo merging hooky melodics to in-your-face digital spazz-outs. And Crystal Castles did it before Heartsrevolution. Whatever. By the time "Digital Suicide // Lullaby" wraps up the five-track EP with its woozy, suicidal come-down there's no question that first isn't always best.

Standout Tracks: "Digital Suicide // Lullaby," "Switchblade," "Ultraviolence" BRYAN REED