Negative Progression has a knack for signing bands that deliver a "safe" sound. They deliver records from bands that proudly wear their influences on their sleeves -- groups performing their own twist on the hooded sweatshirt rock genre. In the case of Little Compass, they dispense a sound that pre-dated "emo" becoming the punch-line to every scene joke. It's easy to pick up on the Braid and Get up Kids inspiration, as well as stimulus from Jimmy Eat World.

The quartet's debut, Discover, reminds me of a less infectious version of Spitalfield's Remember Right Now. That record shared similar traits to the bands mentioned above, but was supplemented with their own sweat and originality. Little Compass are trying their best to differentiate the scene, which you can hear in some of the astute guitar play in songs "You Wanted Murder" and "Pleasure Tides," but continue to fit the generic mold, apparent by the Fall Out Boy-ish "Demolition." The dual vocalists provide their share of ups in terms of their delivery style; however, the adolescent voices plague the ten tracks with tones heard on numerous, already accessible albums.

The latter half of the recordings finds the band expanding slightly, minus the sketchy lyrical content; "Our Town" and "My Baby Lives In Rockdale" could be powerful songs if Little Compass directed themselves through a maturity process, which is just what Discover requires. LC are a new band and are simply trying to find their identity and bearing in an overly populated genre. Given the opportunity and aspiration to build upon what they have already cemented, there could be a chance for Little Compass to succeed.