The Stickup

When it comes to relatively unknown bands, first impressions are crucial. If a band isn't able to grab you and hold your attention within a couple of songs, chances are good the CD will head to the bottom of your pile, never to be played again. With Please, Disease, the Stickup avoid this all-too-common fault and deliver a solid debut EP.

In five songs and nineteen-and-a-half minutes, Please, Disease treats the listener to a brand of unique and nearly perfectly executed post-hardcore. The Stickup avoid most of the genre's common pitfalls. The vocals are yelled, not screamed, which is a plus. The backing music is at times calcuated and at other times frenetic, but it's never too much of either. From the aggressive restraint of opener "The Speaker Takes the Stage" to the catapluting, erupting finish in the epic "Dance Class Disaster," Please, Disease provides one dynamic note after another.

In a scene long on unintelligible noise and unnecessary screaming and short on balls, the Stickup are a more than welcome change. I just may have to give this genre a second chance after all.