Doc & the Rocket Scientists
The Jungle
(self-released)
Myspace.com/doctherocketscientists
There’s a whiff of hippie nostalgia to this odd band, which features
lead guitarist/vocalist Tim Bauman and former McKendree Spring
violinist Michael Dreyfuss. The Jungle is dreamy, minimalist
folk with touches of rock, which credits literary inspiration for some
of the tracks — a sort of awkward collision of Palace and the
Cowboy Junkies. “Traveling” and “The Philosopher” have a meandering,
ruminative, homespun tone suited to Bauman’s rough-edged voice, while
“Purgatory” and “The Empty Cup” add a little rock. Elisa Hapanowicz
brings her quavering, unschooled vocals to several tracks like “Don’t
Let Go,” a rootsy rocker propelled by Dreyfuss’ graceful violin. The
title track, inspired by Upton Sinclair’s harrowing 1906 novel about
the meatpacking industry, sums up the band’s weirdness. Bauman intones
the stream-of-consciousness lyrics affectlessly and without urgency to
sparse music featuring mostly twinkly guitar — until a rock-style
lead comes out of the blue. — Anastasia Pantsios
Omerta
(self-released)
We’re not sure what to make of this EP. On one hand, tunes like “Be
My Fix” and “Rise of the Martyr” verge on metal. On the other hand,
“Sharp Contrast of Tomorrow” has a pop-punk feel, recalling Blink-182.
Then there’s the power ballad “Kill Caroline,” which puts a
Nightranger-like guitar solo smack dab in the middle. The song
contrasts sharply with the esoteric, semi-acoustic “Absolve.” One thing
is for certain: Harmony vocals are not the band’s forte. The backing
vocals are often off-key, making you think that singer-guitarist Joey
Ariemma should handle all the singing vocals, though he too has trouble
singing on key. The five songs here are just too schizophrenic to
really suggest that these guys — all of whom play quite well
— have a clear sense of where they want to take this band.
— Jeff Niesel
Omerta performs at 7 p.m. Saturday, November 14, at the Jolly
Scholar (11111 Euclid Ave., 216.368.0921, facebook.com/jollyscholar).
FREE.
Hear music from Paranoid Lovesick, Doc & the Rocket
Scientists and Omerta at clevescene.com/kickingandstreaming
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.
