Wednesday, June 06, 2001

Full MESH Review: June 6, 2001

Review: Mesh by Indie-music.com


Once again, it's Columbus, Ohio calling. Is there something in the air, water, or sewer system that is breeding flocks of talented musicians from the underground? Those of you out there who are wondering where to find all the good bands these days... get thee to Columbus!

The Stepford Five, duly noted as a four-piece (I'm sure that one never gets old, does it guys?), is the latest and greatest in a gaggle of midwestern bands that are gunning for the great industry brass ring. Keith Jenkins (vocals and guitar), Jason Dziak (guitar and keys), Tim Minneci (bass), and Mark Kovitya (drums) have somehow managed to channel some of my favorite bands through their very own amplifiers and somehow kept their sound original and fresh. There are some very obvious influences at work here, and for those of you out there who revere the Afghan Whigs, Catherine Wheel, The Stones, the underappreciated Howlin' Maggie, and the late, visionary Jeff Buckley, then this band is FOR YOU. Read no further, just click down below and buy the damn disc.

For those of you still reading, take note. The Stepford Five takes a soulful approach to guitar-drenched rock, breaking traditional and archetypal sounds in two, and experimenting with the underbelly of rhythm and melody. By "soulful", I'm sure you can gather what I mean, but I'm going to explain it anyway just in case you all have actually been listening to commercial radio schlock lately. Soul is passionate, raw, fluid, and lush. But most of all it's personal, uniquely adaptable to every individual, and gushing with energy. And all of these characteristics can be used to describe MESH. While they may experience a few pitfalls along the way due to the uncanny resemblances to the aforementioned Whigs, this is in no means an imitative approach to music-making and appears to be a sound that has developed straight from the psyche of all four members. And being immersed in Whig-heil! country (of which I am an active member of the regime) is bound to rub off.

The band shows great range in theme, songwriting style, and innovative use of rhythm. The first track, "Contact Illusion", sets the tone for that, with Kovitya showing his drumming chops off right away, as if they could be buried at some point. Some of the best tracks on this disc use powerful guitar chords and create a waterfall of sound, that reels and changes directions on a regular basis. "Need To Know", the Catherine-Wheel incarnate "Broken Skin", the Midnite Vulture-ish, funky Beck-ish "Get Yourself Together", "No Chance", and the Firewater-branded "Making Sound" all literally leapt out of the speakers and grabbed me by the, well, whatever...

The Stepford Five exhibit a ferociously unapologetic approach to music-making that puts MESH in the upper echelon of indie rock releases. If they keep this up, they might just take the industry by storm.

For the unabridged version of the Stepford Five and how they came to be, log onto www.stepfordfive.com

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