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Finding a morsel of treasured
material out of the densely populated underground scene
can make the never-ending scavenger hunt seem worthwhile.
It's the yin and yang of music: without all of the bad
music, one would not appreciate the good bands the slip
through the cracks… especially when the band is
found in such an unlikely place as New Jersey. Throw
in a clever and nostalgic band title in addition to
the talent and the music listen experience goes over
the top. In this case, that hidden treasure is South
Jersey's own Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B
A Start.
That's right 20-somethings, the code
from the Nintendo game Contra. To be more precise, though,
it is actually the code that Konami used for a good
number of the video games they released. Such a moniker
may be misleading though. One would expect a band with
a name like this to write poppy punk songs about girls,
video games, and a longing for earlier and more innocent
days. This expectation was filled a generation earlier
with the previous band of some of Up Up Down Down's
members, Dixon Ward.
"…and Nothing is #1"
combines numerous elements and influences from every
imaginable corner of the music world. The songs are
delicately balanced combinations of subtle math rock
time signatures, angular guitars that aren't afraid
of taking chances, and lyrical longing, loving, and
self-deprecating cynicism. It is a new generation of
music for those left behind by the departure of Weezer
in to the realm of pop-culture stardom; a generation
that combines the geek packed pop sensibility of Weezer
songs with unparalleled levels of talent and subtle
complexities.
Although "..and Nothing is #1"
is Up Up Down Down's first full length release, the
band has put out a few EPs for the taking. With each
release comes a new level of band maturity. The members
of this band are truly students of music. They learn
from both predecessors and contemporaries and merge
those influences into a distinctly independent and unique
sound. The band has traceable roots to the likes of
Pedro the Lion, Cursive, and Pink Floyd but sounds like
none of the three.
Like Pedro the Lion, this album comes
off as vocally meek and humble. At the same time, it
is not ineffective and faltering. When it is time to
get loud, this band knows how to do right, as the Cursive
referent might suggest. They are not in-your-face rock
like one would expect from bands such as Refused. Up
Up Down Down is packed with a passionate intensity that
proves its powerful punch in every song. It is not rambunctiously
loud. It is extremely energetic. Like Pink Floyd, the
songs give you a concert hall feel. The songs are very
spacious, adding a new dimension to the otherwise linear
songwriting capabilities of your average band.
Each
song on "…and Nothing is #1" is equally
moving and powerful. Whether it be the easily relatable
stories told in "You Landed So Gracefully"
and "My Argument Precedes Me" or the well-composed
works of art of "I Know You'll Find Out that I'm
a Geek" and "Help Me Fix My Bike", this
album leaves little to be desired. The compositions
of Up Up Down Down promise to leave any listener completely
sated and inspired, an effect that very few albums have.
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