During the summer of 1996, just as his hardcore band sixfeetdeep was breaking up, vocalist and guitarist Myk Porter joined with drummer and longtime friend Jared Jolley to record a six-song EP. With the addition of fellow sixfeetdeep alum Matt Traxler and bassist John Sayre, the planned EP was fleshed out with four new songs and released on Traxler's own label as the Brandtson full-length debut, Letterbox, in 1997. After signing with Deep Elm Records, who remastered and re-released Letterbox in March of 1998, the band embarked on a three month tour with label mates the Appleseed Cast. Following the tour, the band released their sophomore effort, Fallen Star Collection, in August of 1999 and followed with Trying to Figure Each Other Out, a seven-track EP pressed in both CD and vinyl formats, in 2000.
While the lion's share of Dial In Sounds follows in the lyrical vein previous efforts -interpersonal relationships and their associated troubles - the Brandtsonites have enlarged their lyrical scope somewhat for the new release. "Some Kind of Jet Pilot" is an engaging, stream-of-consciousness relaying of the sights and sounds of the morning commute, told by the driver who wishes he were anywhere else. "Fireworks and Phonecalls" is a similarly image-rich account of the train station where the traveler waits for the "westbound four fifteen" that, he hopes, will carry him to better things outside of town. And the best-of-album "Cherokee Red" (Brothers by a pocket knife/ Sending signals through the open blinds with flashlights/ Headlights that ran across the bedroom wall/Might be a UFO) is a brilliant relation of all that is wonderful and mysterious between childhood friends.
The musical side of Sounds is a less solid affair. To be equitable, the production values on the release are impeccable and the band renders its compositions with both skill and enthusiasm. But too many of the songs on the new record ultimately fall into the filler category, hampered by an overhanging sense of sameness that dampens the album's impact as a whole. That said, the new record still has much to recommend it. The intricately layered guitar work and slightly quirky rhythms of "Command Q, Command Z" render it as beautiful as it is memorable. And the rollicking infectiousness of entries like "Guest List" and the best-of-album "Mark it a Zero" helps make their case as templates for superlative post-hardcore music. If Dial In Sounds falls short of qualifying as a major artistic leap forward, it does at least manage to hold its own alongside the band's previous output. And, while the sound setlist is largely inconsistent, the new effort still features enough first-rate material to satisfy both fans and newcomers alike.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis January 2002Reviewed by Travis PersaudBrandtson strikes again with Dial In Sounds, the follow-up to their EP, Trying To Figure Each Other Out. This is Brandtson's third full-length album, and their fourth release on Deep Elm Records. My expectations for this album were high - very high. After falling in love with Brandtson's last release, an EP entitled "Trying to Figure Each Other Out," the only acceptable thing in my mind would be…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Ken MuellerBrandtson is back with their third full-length disc for Deep Elm and this time the band strays even further from their emo roots, and heads further into the indie-pop realm. Unfortunately, this disc doesn't quite have the strength of either Letterbox or Fallen Star Collection. The disc starts off with an almost Elvis Costello-like "Mark it a Zero," followed by more laid-back and introspective…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Trae CadenheadA long-time creator of music of the emo variant, Brandtson made their last EP Trying to Figure Each Other Out more of a venture into a pop-emo sound, a sound that seemed to work well for them. Dial in Sounds is the natural progression from Trying. The music of Dial in Sounds may seem average at first, but upon repeat listens it will be found that the sound is catchier every time you dial in. The…Similar sounding releases
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1999Fallen Star Collection
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