AUDIO OUT SEND
...Or Does It Explode? (A Flashcard Project)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

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Delivering urgency without sounding earnest seems a trifle difficult; most modern rock acts stumble on the fine line between the two. It can be the death of an otherwise good album, or worse, that which gives it that decidedly average feeling.

Audio Out Send's debut full length ...Or Does it Explode runs that line, and is successful where so many others tend toward failure. East bay based, Audio Out Send are refuges from 70's arena rock, alternately plying emotionality and evocative moments with excitable guitars over smooth hooks. At just short of 40 minutes, ...Or Does it Explode cuts in and out of 11 tracks with mature production values. Nowhere does it feel over long; like a great movie, one comes to the end and remarks, "that could have been longer and still just as good." Running over four minutes, "The Carver" might be the album's best track. Its gentle bass line and percussion are examples of a patient band who knows exactly what they want to do.

Over and over again the term "atmospheric" seems to apply; the creation of that "other" sound is the mode de jour, but what isn't often stated is whether that atmosphere is one the listener will want to dwell in for very long. You'll want to linger on Audio Out Send, and my hunch is the first forty minutes will not prove sufficient.

[Pick this up at www.audiooutsend.com.]

© 2004 - Erick Mertz