Karate – Pockets (not steckop)
If I label this emo will that scare everyone away? Hopefully not, because these guys have incorporated some really cool stuff into what could have fallen as a pretty flat Christie Front Drive-like sound. There are some real interesting things simmering beneath the surface. The jazz influences blended into the post-rock trio will be very evident. You’ll find lots of improvisational guitar solos and splashy drums. These songs are mostly very chill and relaxed, dare I say sexy?, and the songs seem pretty effortless, but from what I can tell, these guys are quite talented. First-impression wise the more upbeat playful numbers (1,3) grabbed my attention more, but upon more listens the ones like 2, 4, 8 got some real interesting things happening. Drummer has played with Ted Leo, singer’s been in Secret Stars, and bassist’s been in Moving Targets, all 3 have lots of formal training. I recommend it if you wanna hear a pretty unique fusion of rock and jazz.

*1- splashy, bouncy, 2 prominent guitar solos, jazzy drums
*2- sparse and slow, light drumming, guit solo at end feels latin, quiet but nice
3- upbeat, swinging rhythm, staccato guitar line, a little funky
4- slow, moody and meandering,
5- more laidback chill, could imagine a coffee shop band playing this as background music, sway with it
6- FCC(shit) uptempo again, playful
7- minimal percussion, very relaxed strumming
*8- long (8:30), feels improvisational, builds slowly, voice gets more expressive than usual, driving