Named after Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic of the same name, the self-titled debut of Vancouver's Notes From Underground is a well-studied mix of Pixies howl, the jingle-jangle of 60s psychedelia, and, surprise-surprise, New York punk circa 1970. However, there is something a little bit off-kilter about the way these guys express their influences. One would think that an album with 10 songs in just under 30 minutes would fly by, however, for some reason, this just isn't the case. The album begins with the Notes' two strongest tracks: "Hey Hey Hey (Second Chance)" and "Run and Hide." The first starts with some typical garage rock riffage a la the Modern Lovers before vocalist Geoff Thompson busts into some Surferosa-styled shrieking. The second is a hummable pop tune complete with a trumpet melody that spars successfully with the rhythm. This extra instrumentation adds depth to the Notes' sound, thus making the track the album's high point. It was a sad state of affairs, then, when I discovered that the rest of the album tends to just rehash the few ideas expressed in the first two tracks. Unfortunately, not much can be said about an album that does not say a whole lot itself. To be fair, however, this album is not a total bore. The punchy "Rescue Me," the melodic "Running Blind," and the melancholic closer "Let's Midnight" could all find happy audiences with fans of the standard indie rock style of playing, however, those who like to be intellectually prodded as they listen to records will find little to stimulate them here.

By Ryan Wugalter
May 11, 2003