Don’t quote me on the title. Mike from The Bertos handed this to me at AwesomeFest 5. The cover’s written in sharpie on burrito paper. There’s a lot to like about the Bertos; the fact that lead singer Mike’s almost bashful when they’re not playing just adds to it. They play songs about manual labor jobs and quickly and haphazardly moving out of an apartment. Real stuff that may sound small—”…and we dust and we mop…(ba bah bah) and we fold everything…(whoah oh oh)”—but, to me, just sound real and honest. They also have a subtle way of twisting things with a flick of the wrist—”…and the night falls… (ba bah bah) we’re out drinking (whoah oh oh) … and we are so afraid…” Think along the lines of J.Church, (another power trio) Hüsker Dü, and deconstructed and reassembled Tiltwheel guitar riffs. What that boils down to me is plenty of space to breathe inside of the songs. It’s like watching a set of lungs expand and contract over and over again. Seeing the blood pulsate. The esophagus swell, breath expel. The Bertos are a well-kept San Diego secret. Give ‘em a chance. I have the feeling they’ll surprise you. This gets better and bigger with each spin. –todd (Self-released, no address)