The
Sketch - Best Kid In Town (Engineer Records)
The US and UK have a longstanding tradition
of fawning over bands on opposite sides of
the Atlantic. Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, for
example, were both bigger overseas before
they really blew up here. We've currently
got what many are calling the best British
band around in the form of The Killers (they're
from Las Vegas). And so it seems that the
UK has a pretty darn good American power-pop
band in the form of South East Kent's The
Sketch. Influence knows no continental divide.
The Sketch prove it on "Best Kid In Town,"
their toe-tapping, err,-stomping 6-song debut
EP from Engineer Records. Solid songs in the
vein of Weezer and emo-pioneers The Anniversary
(check out their tasteful and very subtle
use of synth), are driven along by a tight
rhythm section and guitar work reminiscent
of sweet 90's indie-rock a la Superchunk.
Something about these songs, particularly
the drumwork and songstructure, remind me
of Velocity Girl, quaint 90's SubPop pop/rock,
which isn't a bad thing. They effortlessly
transition from explodin'-out-the-gates piledriver,
"Rotting Away," which voices the
timeless theme of job-hating, and the super
single-worthy, "Superman Take III."
This and the one that follows, "A Thousand
Times Before" both contain "you
swear you've heard it before" choruses
that, while traditional in structure, actually
play around with the pop/rock form quite a
bit melodically. Like their forebearers and
pledged influences (Jimmy Eat World, Get Up
Kids, Piebald) The Sketch keep the best and
leave out the rest, all the while establishing
a sound, upbeat and heartfelt, all their own.
The second half of the EP shows the band's
knack for tunes a tad more mellow. But even
these, like the anthemic "It's Gone Wrong"
pick up the pace at some point and bring the
listener back to the band's energetic sing-alongs.
Best Kid In Town is a short, but telling release,
and if the band keeps looking to the States
for influence, I'm sure their next (hopefully
a little longer) will be another great of
Americana, powerpop style. - John Brhel
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