Mt. Vernon band Mindhead's sophomore release, "How not to get there", is mature and sincere indie rock at its finest. Each song is unique and driven, universal and yet drenched with a sense of individuality the listener can relate with. The album as a whole is innovative, tightly woven, and bracing.
Starting strong with the great riffs of 'Arrivals", leading to my personal favorite 'Baby, let's go for a ride", to the impressive vocal styling in '6 months, 3 days', the listener is riveted in the band's talent. Composed of lead singer and guitarist Joe Day, Seth Fikkert on drums, bass guitarist Jeff Morrow, and Jon Orange on keys, guitar and backing vocals, the group is refreshingly pleasing. With the added genius of Mr. Winston on wine glasses and his creation the mototron, their originality is taken to another level. It is at times hypnotically dark and intensely vulnerable, portraying a sense of longing and need. Listening to this band an underlying message becomes apparent throughout the album, which seems to be a search for meaning and truth within relationships and faith.
While their music is enjoyable to listen to, you have not fully had the Mindhead experience until you have been to a live performance. The band not only performs high-energy shows that the crowd loves, they are also defying death at the same time. Also known as: dodging bassist, Jeff Morrow's guitar. We can thankfully say no serious injuries have come about from Jeff's untamed momentum.
We can also say, that it is very surprising that Jeff has not yet axed someone's skull. Encores are not something the band is unfamiliar with. They are often chanted back onto stage to bring on more rock. But a show is not truly over until drummer, Seth, has knocked over at least half of his drum kit, has fallen on the floor and is tapping out the beats on the rim of his snare drum.
"How not to get there" delivers nicely and is of a praiseworthy caliber unlike the majority of music heard today. It will perhaps become the defining work of this band, and should be a welcome addition to any c.d. collection.
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