The 303s – Lines of Parallel Minds / 2006 Cult Hero / 12 Tracks / http://www.the303s.com / http://www.cult-hero.com / Reviewed 21 April 2006

This is the Prozac-riddled cousin of digital hardcore acts like Lolita Storm. This means that The 303s play a brand of electron-infused rock that will get people dancing, a sort of full-assed commitment to the half-assed style of acts like Kylie and Madonna.

The intricate sequencing present on tracks like ”Waves & Generation” will draw individuals in early, a good thing considering the short attention span of most music listeners. While there still is a twinge of electronic sound present in “Sea of Things”, what should titillate listeners the most with the track is the fact that The 303s go back effectively to 1990 to the days of The Breeders and make the music relevant for the current period. The band makes another jump with “Beyond The Lines”, a track that brings back the full-blown electronic sound of “Waves & Generation” but adds a disco generation to the track with a guitar/drum dynamic. The 303s seem to be a mixture of Dressy Bessie and Bif Naked, who were two bands that really took this eclectic approach to extremes. During “Lines of Parallel Minds”, The 303s make a track for every type of their fans, but do so in a way that individuals can see the logic that brought the band to each decision.

“Treaties” is the most expansive of the tracks on “Lines of Parallel Minds”, as it has so many musical layers that individuals will take weeks or months trying to unravel the fabric that the band has created. While the track is full-sounding, it is not once a track that sounds cluttered in the least. The band moves from quick to slow, around a number of styles and what happens by the end of the disc is that the band has anyone who listens in on board. The tender arrangements of a song like “Red Line” are almost enough to bring a listener to tears. I do not know where The 303s came from, but the quality of “Lines of Parallel Minds” is enough that individuals should begin to know about the band here when the album breaks. There is not a weak or bare spot on this album, and The 303s come through with a bold new sound that is properly grounded in the styles that influenced it, but is fundamentally removed from these styles as the band creates their own style. Give “Lines of Parallel Minds” a go.

Top Tracks: Opaque Love, Treaties

Rating: 6.9/10

[JMcQ]