Austin Sound

Judging from a name like “Aliens” (not “The Aliens,” who are a cool Beta Band off-shoot, by the way) and a myspace genre list that reads “Punk / Rock / Techno,” my initial impression was that their take on Rock n’ Roll might be “out of this world” (read: “unlistenable”). On the contrary, the music, once I actually listened to it, is anything but. It’s an interesting mix between late 80’s radio-rock and simple punk riff-based songs. For a more in depth analysis, I had originally constructed a story detailing, in part, a spaceship flown by They Might Be Giants’ John Linnell who has thrown overboard the band’s unique instrumentation in order to achieve a near-lightspeed velocity fast enough to tear apart an unsuspecting spaceship piloted by R.E.M and built by Dinosaur Jr. with a daring kamikaze raid. Somewhere along the way, I realized I’d been watching Wing Commander far too often these days.

Aliens are the product of Blake Sandberg who after starting the band in New York, relocated to Austin. Aside from Sandberg’s vocal and guitar contributions, the band features both electronic drums, and a rotating group of drummers, including Hunt Sales (of Iggy Pop) and Raanen Bozzio (the son of Terry Bozzio, drummer for Frank Zappa). The album itself, the first studio LP from the group (a live album was released early last year), is at best a fine example of the band’s ability to expertly blend two of the most influential genres in music.

Probably the best example of this is the album’s third track, “Stow Away.” As the song begins, a clean-channel guitar and simple bass line combined with Sandberg’s less-than-punk vocals are almost indistinguishable from your favorite R.E.M record, but then the chorus kicks in with heavily distorted guitars, and the drums take off leaving Peter Buck in the dust. The punk influences are brought to bear; the simple hooks, the feedback buildups, the excessive power chords, it’s all there.

Aside from a few exceptions, the better songs on the album are the ones that follow the same “hybrid” concept as “Stow Away.” The more notable exceptions are “Guinea Pig” (with Hunt Sales behind the kit) which, not surprisingly, has a more classic punk sound complete with raw-themes (“I’m your guinea pig, try it out on me”) and “Reflex Motor” which sees a more aggressive side of Sandberg’s vocals and a much looser structure. Then of course there’s the last track “Alien Mind Control,” a Daniel Johnston cover that has a truly unique blend of electronic noise and soft guitar accompaniment that segues into an acoustic section that reads more like an afterthought than an album ending.

On a whole, the album is everything you would expect from a guy who takes his vocal cues from They Might Be Giants’ answering machine and plays guitar with all the edge of the DIY-era rockers. And again, the best songs are the ones that stay true to the simple but effective cross-genre combinations. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, the more “original” compositions often come off as unfocused and meandering. That’s not to discount the merits of Head First, which, as its cover suggests, may not score a perfect 10, but is still deserving of a good listen by anyone who appreciates the good music traditions Aliens draw from.

Websites:
www.aliensmusic.com
Myspace