Dig It Up

Magnets (2009)

Joe Pelone

I'm kind of in love with Canada. Their Kit-Kats taste different. Their side of Niagara Falls has a WWE store (also, a better view). They invented the Canadarm (I calls it a space claw), hockey and John K. Samson. So it makes sense that I'd be attracted to the folks in Dig It Up. On their new EP Magnets, the band tears through five furious punk tunes in under 20 minutes.

Of course, my throbbing Canuck fetish wouldn't apply if Dig It Up didn't write good songs. They do. Their stuff is loose ‘n' frenetic -- think the Bronx, Cloak/Dagger or Lost City Angels. It's not quite Black Flag-ian, but I'm sure the five members own at least one copy of Damaged. Maybe two.

"Oh No!" is the shortest tune of the bunch (1:19), but it makes a strong opening argument for the band's sound. Basically, they work the title in a couple times, throw in raw, crunchy guitar parts a lot, and then sprinkle in a dash of "hey"s. It's like they measured out the exact amounts of awesomeness to grab your attention (probably in metric, a unit of measurement I maintain is witchcraft). "A Thousand Words" is almost twice as long but just as rocking.

From there, the EP hits listeners with three songs in the four minutes and change vicinity, which is admittedly a little lengthy for the style. Still, these are energetic party songs for punks, and any critical statements stem more from observation than actual complaint. Border patrol and anti-Americanism can't stop me from enjoying Magnets. Oh, Canada…