V/A – Takeover Records 3-Way Issue #2

V/A – Takeover Records 3-Way Issue #2 / 2005 Takeover Records / 9 Tracks / http://www.thematches.com /http://www.reeveoliver.com / http://www.nearmissmusic.com / http://www.takeoverrock.com / Reviewed 21 June 2005

Out of the three bands on this split, Near Miss was the only band I had never heard out of the three (Near Miss, Reeve Oliver, and The Matches). Why exactly they were chosen to be on this compilation is beyond me; the band has a hard-edge, Rise Against meets NYHC feel to them that doesn’t seem to work with the other two bands on the split. More than that, they are beyond intense; each track on this split averages about two minutes. “At The Seam” perhaps has the band’s best moment on it; the chunky bass that finds its way onto the track is absolutely brilliant, and really adds the perfect amount of grit to what would otherwise be a fairly neat and tidy track. Near Miss is only a near miss if one can count the red dot as missing the bullseye.

Reeve Oliver starts off their side of the split with a fairly enervated track in “Summer”; while it may be radio-friendly and possessing of a strong melody, there just seems to be a lacking to the track that is only exacerbated with the clichéd seventies-rock guitar riffs strewn across the track. Likewise, the slower-tempo and stretched out vocals of “I Play The Sensitive Songwriter Card” really try to elicit the halcyon days of “Popular” (Nada Surf) era indie-rock but fail to really energize their listener base. Finishing up their section with “We’re Only Gonna Die”, Reeve Oliver takes a Weezer-like tack to their sound, and regains a little of their lost luster. Overall, the same problems surround their side of the split that sank their self-titled disc earlier this year.

The Matches come to the plate with one new tracks and two acoustic versions of their songs off of “E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals”. The new track, “A Girl I Know” has the same solid basslines that really made my first experience with the band – “December Is For Cynics” memorable, but the nineties-influenced style of the track is really hit or miss. Instead of just being a live version, “Sick Little Suicide” has been given the “Disarm” (Smashing Pumpkins) treatment, and it makes this instant classic even better than the album version. The acoustic version of “Shoot me In The Smile” is more of the screwing-around variety, but the track is brought down by the inexplicable use of breaking glass for little to no reason. Overall, Takeover Records has made a full (but quick) split that showcases three upcoming bands.

Top Track: Nearmiss “At The Seam”

Rating: 6.5/10