764-HERO

Weekends Of Sound (2000)

Scott Heisel

What does a reviewer say about a band that sounds like a conglomeration of every other band from the same area? Is that good or bad? Are they simply influenced by them or are they blatently ripping them off? These are the questions that have hounded me since I recieved this CD for review some months ago. What have I come up with? Read on.

764-HERO comes from the same breeding grounds as Modest Mouse, Built To Spill, and many other Northwestern bands. They have been around for a few years, but apparently the band has finally gotten into a finalized lineup and are no longer just a side band. The CD's first vibe is a definite Modest Mouse one, coming with the first few seconds of "Terrified of Flight," the first track. It starts off with an almost evil-sounding guitar chord that gets your attention right away, followed by a pounding bassline and drums. It is a perfect album opener, and in my opinion, the strongest song on this CD. The CD changes styles with the second song, "Without Fire." It sounds like it is a Built To Spill song. It sounds good, but I could just put on a Built To Spill CD and hear the real thing. Still, that puts the CD at two good songs in a row. If only the streak kept up for the next seven, the CD would be awesome. Instead, 764-HERO falls into the "generic indie rock" category. This doesn't make the CD bad, it just means that the band, while having two or three good songs on a CD, are plagued by sounding like their more famous predecessors [i.e. Modest Mouse and Built To Spill]. Either way, this CD is a definite step up from their last CD, as this one just has a more fuller sound and better song quality overall. This won't be making my top ten list this year, but it will probably get enough play to annoy my roommates. So, need indie rock? Just pick up your phone and dial 764-HERO.

[taken from A different kind of greatness webzine]