Charlottefield

How Long Are You Staying

(Fat Cat)

Record Review by Michele Fair

There has always been a sort of unspoken feud between the indie rock snobs and the art-noise set. While many people can say they’re somewhere in the middle lane of the Smiths and Sonic Youth superhighway, the distinction and difference between two slightly similar, yet unparalleled genres is sometimes blatantly obvious. Charlottefield is a band that could possibly help to bridge the gap and help fans of all kinds of independent music “make nice.” How Long Are You Staying is an eight-track album laced with screamo vocals and off-tune guitar that has a real potential to appeal to people who like a little strychnine mixed in with their lattes.

At first listen, the album can be a little off-putting. The music itself sounds good initially, but the vocals seem to be performed with minimal effort or sincere (albeit loud) emotion. The attempt to listen to decent composition combined with yelling tends to drive fans of more mellow music away. However, after the third or fourth spin, How Long Are You Staying morphs into something closer to a good and likeable album. And no, the entire album doesn’t consist of screaming, but it does stand in the forefront. There are moments on the CD that make you feel as if you’re floating along, drowning in the guitar and bass lines, such as “The Eleventh Day,” which is a superb track that mixes a hint of anger with a trance-like solemnity.

Charlottefield are smart. They know how to mix a sound that resembles older A Minor Forest with their own blend of sounds, creating an album that not only rocks you but nudges you to ponder: maybe those kids who enjoy music that seems senseless are actually onto something. How Long Are You Staying could very well be the start of a new niche that can show music fans everywhere how to open up their hearts and let the noise shine in.