Controller.Controller

X-Amounts

(Paper Bag)

Record Review by Alexis Roberts

The day that Controller.Controller’s first full-length hit the shelves was yet another proud day for the Canadian music scene. This band is sure to fall into place as a new favorite amongst the fans of Fiona Apple, Frou Frou, Tori Amos, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Lead singer Nirmala Basanyake has a superbly powerful voice that fuses nicely with the rest of the band. Her vocals are similar to those of Fiona Apple or Karen O., and she has a way of giving each song a contrasting ambience. Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she’s not as tough as any guy out there. In the song “Poison/Safe,” she repeats the line “Watch out now/ I’ll chew you up!” to make sure we all get that she means business.

You can definitely hear the influence of bands such as Death From Above 1979 and The White Stripes when listening to this album, especially in their elegantly muddled guitar riffs and their blatant use of the bass drum in many of the songs. This CD is definitely one that you should throw on during dance parties, because it will get everyone in the room moving. It’s just impossible to sit still while these beats are playing, and if you’re not the dancing type, they will at least get your feet tapping.

X-Amounts is lacking something that I can’t seem to put my finger on—that small something that separates the good bands from the great ones. Nevertheless, I expect that more experience will bring that final piece of the puzzle to Controller.Controller and that it will launch their popularity sky high.