TwoThirtyEight has succeeded the last few years in creating a niche for themselves in the underground indie rock market. Their release Regulate the Chemicals on Takehold Records in 2000 defined the band and brought them to a new level. It wasn't long before Tooth & Nail Records noticed and had the band sign a contract. Now in 2002, TwoThirtyEight has re-released Regulate the Chemicals, with two new songs and nine previous songs that have by now become favorites among emo/indie rock lovers.
The music of TwoThirtyEight does a good job of staying original. There are bands who are in the same genre as TwoThirtyEight, but none that sound the same. The music can at times get fast and distorted, but generally plods along at a normal pace with involving guitar lines that keep the listener intrigued enough to not skip ahead to the next track.
The lyrics have a discernible Christian influence, but not any kind of outright gospel message. The lyrics are honest, as the band uses their lives and conversations after their concerts as their ministry. There are certainly some good points made in TwoThirtyEight's songs, however. Take, for instance, "The Bastard Son and the Spoiled One": "I'm not the grateful bastard son, I'm the rich and spoiled one." Lyrics like this have a way of getting straight to the point without being cliche.
The two new songs on the album are "The Sticks Are Woven in the Spokes" and "Les Wirth." "The Sticks" is a more upbeat song, speaking of dealing with problems. I liked the song the instant I heard it. "Les Wirth" takes more time to get used to, but is probably the better tune. It's slower but much more understated and real than even indie rock listeners are used to.
It would be hard for me to not recommend Regulate the Chemicals, an album that succeeds musically and lyrically and ties everything together in a way that should make any indie rock listener happy.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Art for the Ears 2002Reviewed by Marco PovervestTwothirtyeight is so far an unknown band to me. Regulate The Chemicals is their upcoming album on Tooth & Nail Records. It features emo rock music. It's a raw, yet sober music. You can hear two guitars in collision with each other while you hear clean vocals on top of it. The guitars vary from gentle strumming to heavy outbursts. There's a lot of melody. The vocals are sometimes joined by other…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Josh HurstThere is a fine line between the brilliant and the bizarre. Sometimes an album comes along that critics and fans alike laud for its clever artistry and experimental, inspired flourishes of musical madness. The Beatles are considered by most to be one of the all-time greats of rock 'n' roll, largely due to the fact that the Beatles were never afraid to use strange sound effects in a song, or play…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by JamesThe new album was produced by James Wisner. This is the band's 2nd release on Take Hold Records. Let me get right to the point, these guys have put together a great album. While a lot of people may not take the time to catch the gist of these songs, but the ones that do are going to find that Two Thirty Eight's album is well worth the money. Although it is a genre-oriented product, this disk…Similar sounding releases
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