There's much to like about Rover's E.P., entitled Three. The percussion underlying the guitar work conjures up images of the 77s. The numerous effects shown off on the guitar are done the right way, with a matching mood to hold the song together. Fans of the classic guitar work of Jimi Hendrix would enjoy 'Suicide King' with its funky riff. To summarize what I'm about to say in the rest of this review: Three is a gem.
Melding effect driven guitar lines with the appealing vocals of frontman Jackson Jackson, Rover attest to being quite capable of entertaining an audience with an innovative, yet catchy, sound. Imagine a fusion of emo and rock/pop, plus the added bounciness of retro, and you're somewhere near what Rover create. Partly owning up to the unique sound is the addition of an organ to several tracks. Take for example "Wrecking Ball," which cleverly combines the wah wah guitar with the organ, leaving only one question in the listener's mind: why hasn't that been done before?
Jackson's vocals at times hold a vague similarity to the lead singer from Dumpster, at other times your typical blues rock singer. While he has a fairly ordinary voice, it is made more interesting through a number of "digital mutations," created by Jonathan Johnson. This is done best on "Space Oddity," where the eerie, unsettling musical landscape (similar to Annie) is further enhanced by a groggy, dreamy spin to Jackson's vocals. However, the highlight comes when the dreaminess of the music dissolves into a killer guitar riff, and the vocals are brought back to normal, thus allowing for a drastic chorus.
Jackson's capabilities as songwriter are not immediately apparent: no lyrics are included. But upon taking a closer listen to what he's trying to say, the listener will find poetic imagery which avoids many of the usual cliches in Christian music. "Brother" exemplifies the faith based, metaphor painted lyrics which Jackson weaves into the music.
You will wake with the 2 o clock wake up call
From the bed to the floor is a fifty foot fall
Well it's one for the money and five on the road
Safe in your bed with the vampire cold...
...I may not have your blood
But I am your brother
When the father you lost
With a stare makes me shudder
I once said you got some learning to do
But a man you don't know is bleeding for you
Brother
Three is well produced: the vocals are generally understandable, no instrument is exaggerated more than need be, and the digital effects are impressive for an independent band. Of course, the production gets nowhere near being as good as those of the bands on bigger labels, but Rover will not lose any fans over the production.
"Short but sweet" is the phrase best used to sum up Three. Every one of the six songs on here are superb works of art, and prove that Rover are a band who deserve some serious attention. It's hard to imagine what kinds of things Rover could do to if they had
the backing of a record company.
