Band Crush -- Lotion

A quick post tonight because I'm really tired. Here is another in a long list of bands I loved while in college and found recently when searching through my CD collection.

Had this band been in exsistence today, I believe they would be all over the blogs. People would be hailing them for their sound and their original take on the old alternative rock formula. Unfortunately, the band broke up in 1999 after three records. What they did release, particularly their first album "Full Isaac", was melodic, intense and full of moments of real excitement. Although not the most original, Lotion managed to transcend the alternative genre with just enough off kilter bass lines and a slightly nasal vocal delivery to make me come back to their music often. Lyrically, the songs travel in a world of awkward teenage boys pinning away over girls they can't have or when they do get the girl they don't know what to do with them. It's almost emo before emo was even a phrase. I particularly enjoyed "Around", which is a simple acoustic song with very little lyrics but just keeps building and building to a crescendo by the end of the song. Elsewhere on "Tear", the band comes closest to a stadium rock feel with a great bass, guitar power chord combo over a driving drum beat.

The band moved in a poppier direction with "Nobody's Cool" with soemwhat diminishing returns. Their sound was very much a sample of most of the music coming off the SPINART label (one of my favorite indie labels) and had a feel remiscent of BUFFALO TOM with a slight SUPERCHUNK feel. Very good stuff indeed.

(mp3) Lotion -- Tear

(mp3) Lotion -- Around