Indie Music Album Reviews

burning down the villager - in time

4/28/2014

Burning Down The Villager

In Time
Tremulant Records; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Burning Down The Villager is a four-piece from Lincoln, Nebraska that play straightforward accessible rock that is well written and will resonate with a large audience. Fans of bands like Weezer, Muse, Kings Of The Stone Age and The Foo Fighters will embrace their recent album In Time that was released on Tremulant Records. This a band that takes minimal effort to enjoy. It’s unpretentious rock with a fair amount of catchy melodies, enough variation to keep you engaged and you get the feeling these guys had a blast while making this record. The production is very good throughout and has the sound of professional recording not a sloppy put together DIY effort, which makes the songs that much more enjoyable.

The album starts strong with “Oceans,” which throws jagged riffs, vocal harmonies, and powerful drumming in your direction. Grady McGuire has a pretty decent rock voice, which isn't too pretty or aggressive. It lies somewhere in between and fits the music. The songs ends with a concoction of layered vocals and rocking guitar while McGuire sings “I can’t even comprehend.” “Catch My Breath” is a great follow-up to the first song as they showcase that they don’t need distortion to make a lot of noise. The verse contains impressive, cascading guitar melodies before they rock out on the chorus. The band likes to end with a bang as they implement a similar fourth act in the first two songs.

“What You Did” was one of the highlights for me and contains some shredding guitar towards the end of the song that kicked some serious ass. “Bad Memory Boy” was certified power pop and reminded me of a classic Weezer while “Crude” was a nice deviation that proved they didn't have to rock out on every song to make you appreciate them.

In Time isn't breaking any barriers but it does provide a number of songs that make Burning Down The Villager a formidable force in indie rock. The album has a good flow and provides enough variation that listening to it was a pleasure.