Indie rock power pop.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, POP: Power Pop



Details:
Equal and opposite: thatâs a fitting description of Oaklandâs Charmless. Singer/guitarist Peter Harb can often be found with an acoustic guitar and harmonica at local open mic nights; guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Hainline constantly rewires his effects pedals in an attempt to obtain the most dissonant guitar tone possible; bassist Justin Bolker believes that thereâs no songwriterâs block that canât be cured with more volume and a plagiarized Cheap Trick riff; drummer Jim Bove has a Bachelorâs in classical composition and did jazz session work in New York City after college. Any doubts about this unlikely partnership are erased, however, with one listen to the bandâs debut album, Just Because ...quot; ten tracks inspired by Charmlessâ diverse influences but grounded firmly in their common favorites (Superchunk, Husker Du, and Tom Petty, to name just a few).

Formed in the summer of 2001, Charmless soon established a reputation as one of the Bay Areaâs best ...quot; and most energetic ...quot; live bands. Local media took early notice, with the East Bay Express describing their sound as âa sonic assault that's sweetened considerably by pop melodies, like a candy-coated hook on top of a wall of distortionâ and Bay Area Buzz deeming them a âBand to Watch.â Such attention, along with airplay on college radio (KALX, KFJC, and KZSU), brought them to the attention of Isota Records, who put Charmless in the studio with Grammy-nominated producer Jeff Saltzman (The Killersâ Hot Fuss) to record the âActionâ/âHot Flowerâ seven-inch. The single sold out of its first pressing and earned the band rave reviews in media such as Splendid (âpost-punk guitar rock greatnessâ), Losing Today (âspills forth like a charging army, making the whole thing something akin to a melodic minefield, the sound of youthful angst bottled in itâs purest formâ), and West Coast Performer (âall that its bio purports; stadium rock with stadium chopsâ). Teaming up again with Saltzman, Charmless gathered more praise for the âTule Fogâ split-single on Oaklandâs Food Stamp Records, with Mesh saying âmelodic, mellow and blue, itâs what makes this record worth having.â

With several labels making offers, the group broke with traditional wisdom and decided to self-finance and produce Just Because. Using student loans to fund the recording, Charmless treated the album as their opportunity to fully realize their collective and individual visions. From the driving power pop of âLast Callâ (the first single) to the feedback loops and tape-reversed ending of album closer âStarting Over,â Just Because forgoes the hit-making ââ¬Ëflavor of the weekâ mentality in favor of energetic performances and timeless rock nâ roll melodies. The album was quickly picked up by Texas-based Itchy Korean Recordings.