Lipona

Pigeonholed (2009)

Brian Shultz

Lipona's newest release further makes slight modifications on their revivalist EpiFat take. What's new here? Well, maybe not entirely much besides a steadily bulkier sound and a forbidden-beat charge that stays pretty fresh throughout these five tracks.

Pigeonholed occasionally tries to question its title's forecast, though its greatest effort comes right away with an ambient, layered riff that loftily tries to establish a curiously dark yet hopeful mood. Opener "Beginning the Dynamite Era" lets 20 seconds of that saunter through before lighting the figurative blasting cap with a modest drum roll. The band then launch into an urgent style of slightly technical skatepunk anchored by solid, understated melodies and smooth, semi-deep vocals; this band clearly found the halfway point between A Wilhelm Scream's brute force and the Swellers' glossier veneer, and are doing it pretty well at that.

"Tragedy of the Commons" follows with some fist-pumping gang shouts in the background and predictably exigent energy restrained by slower but versatile vocals. The acoustic "Shooty Hoops" is all about playing music with integrity and all that jazz. It's not too preachy, though, and sounds more honest than anything.

This is a very tight and promising chapter in Lipona's chronology, and hopefully the one that garners them a little more attention as they continue to develop into a well-rounded and pleasantly melodic bunch. (And at the very least, it's worth the cost of admission and then some.)

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Pigeonholed EP

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Beginning the Dynamite Era
Tragedy of the Commons
Reverberations