Mack the Coffee Man

Item: Light Pours Through
Author: Justin W. Jones

Light Pours Through

(1999)

Reviewed by Justin W. Jones

Discogs Bandcamp

Label Burnt Toast VinylThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

emo indie rock post-rock

Mack, The Coffee Man must be drinking de-caf. This album lacks all the jitters, on the edge, biting-your-fingernails hyperactivity that normally comes from caffeine. Instead, when you hear them, you are listening to a relaxed indie rock album with a touch of emo -- stirred, not shaken. The result is a good album.

I have heard of this band before because they have played with other great indie rock groups like Pedro the Lion and Joe Christmas, so I was expecting something similar. But their sound is all their own, which is good because familiarity breeds contempt.

"Light Pours Through" is actually two of their EPs together on one disc. It's a split CD, and each part has its own sound (the first part is more emotional).

Their sound package is totally unique. It's minimalistic indie rock with occasional guitar solos and a whiny, wispy lead voice. The three guys play together real tight and are blended real well. Their melodies are bittersweet, and the singing causes depression... but a good kind of depression. At times you think you are listening to Bono from U2 sing, but then as it goes on you hear the "whine" in his voice and remember that this is Mack, the Coffee Man.

There were a few songs on the album that were annoying. I thought the songs didn't have much of a direction and repeated the melody too much, but that was only on two songs. As for the rest, they were good. There was also an ever-present sense that these guys listen to '80s music a whole lot. I really felt that influence in the music and singing.

The best song on the first split, "Light Pours Through," is "Years." This song has a sad beginning, middle, and end, but it sounds so right. The guitar solo at the end took me back a few years to the age of big hair, Atari, and Glam, when Reagan was in office and the only rock I heard was from my older brother's tape case. It ends the song on a killer groove, and I put my CD player on repeat for a while after I heard it.

The best song on the second split and my favorite overall was "Estella." I liked this song a lot. It's really up-tempo and sounds a whole lot like Robert Smith and Bono singing at the same time. I'm not saying that this group copies others, just that they will bring those other groups to mind when you hear them. They really bust out with the indie rock style on this song, and it's a song worth hearing on an album worth getting.

I think Mack the Coffee Man is a good, emotional, dark indie group, and I recommend them to those who like that style. But I need to give you a word of advice: Don't listen to the album after a hard break up, because it might drive you to drinking...espresso.

4 tocks