1090 Club – S.O.S.

1090 Club – S.O.S. / 2006 SideCho / 10 Tracks / http://www.the1090club.com / http://www.sidecho.com / Reviewed 22 January 2007

1090 Club do not come to the beginning of their “S.O.S.” as a band that has any positive or negative momentum coming into their disc. The band does not link themselves to any specific genre of music during “Hello’, but creates a brand of rock that is distinctly their own. The inclusion of a violin during “Hello” further gives the band power for the rest of the tracks on the disc, something that hopefully the band will use well. “Second Hander” has a chilling synthesizer line that will remind individuals in the know of Rush’s 1980s classic “Subdivisions”, before the rest of the band come into a ska meets indie type of instrumentation.

The track is definitely ready for the big time, but 1090 Club is on the outside looking in. There is so much raw talent contained in each track on “S.O.S.” that it is surprising that they are currently on SideCho and not something like Interscope or another major. While there is not much in the way of similar output between the 1090 Club and The Polyphonic Spree, a track like “It Starts With” has the same authority and fullness present in it that the latter band was known for on prior releases. “Gypsea” is a much more tempestuous track that even moved into the domain of The Devil is Electric and Operation: Cliff Clavin, albeit with much more talent instrumentation present throughout. “Gypsea” is an amazing track, with churning guitars and strong vocal entrances that give the band a shot in the arm for the second half of the disc.

This energy continues in to “Sunk”, which blends together Defiance Ohio with Yellowcard and Flogging Molly to come up with something completely new. While a great number of these tracks have something to do with a nautical theme, the tracks work quite well all on their own. The band makes a rare album where tracks are solid but nothing is thought of the disc until more in the way of pieces fall into place. By the time that half the CD has spun through, individuals can begin to hear how brilliant 1090 Club are in the creation of their own special brand of music. Even being able to come up with a dreamy type of pop track that would have been a big hit in mid-nineties radio (their track “Some Equals One”), 1090 Club have made an impressive album that will be spinning in my CD play for a long time to come.

Top Tracks: Gypsea, Some Equals One

Rating: 8.3/10

[JMcQ]