This one’s a grower. Sometimes I come across albums like this. Upon the first few listens, I am almost immediately turned off for whatever reason. In this case, it was that the vocals didn’t seem to mesh well with the sound. They seemed a bit too clean. But after a number of listens I couldn’t help but realize that some of these songs are catchy and found myself singing bits throughout the day. The Fugazi influence is by far the most prevalent on their sound, but they can slip into some more 1990s indie rock stylings here and there, too. They certainly don’t match the intensity and emotional connection of Fugazi, but that’s pretty impossible for the vast majority of bands to do. However, the guitar and bass are real ringers for the sound. Everyone likes Fugazi, though, so it’s not a bad group to emulate. Although only five songs, almost all of them are strong. The second track, “Absolute Zero,” works well with its hypnotic guitars and vocals that don’t overpower the music. The fourth song, “Battery Acid,” has vocals that matched the sound well, and helped me start to change my mind about their connection. By the last track, “Answer the Question,” Minus World is really hitting their stride, with some passion matched with good guitar work. I always appreciate and respect bands that can change my opinion on their sound, and Minus World definitely did so over twenty-five minutes. Good work, guys. I’m a tough nut to crack.
–kurt (Self-released, minusworldbloomington.bandcamp.com)