40 WATT DOMAIN
Short Wave (Gaki)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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40 Watt Domain may not break much new ground, but they have a nice sound that is somewhere between moody punk and pop punk, which is to say they know how to give it a fairly heavy atmosphere and still make it infectious. They also have a sense of humor. The opening song, "Conundrum," has an interesting musical break where the vocalist, Drew Lynn, breaks into spoken word and tries to figure out what just happened to his relationship. "Hadn't I treated her right? Hadn't I given her the attention she needed? Hadn't I gone down on her without even using a dental dam?" Haven't we all wondered such things? He delivers his rant in a tone of ever-increasing indignation that's just plain funny to hear. It makes an already decent song all the more likeable. Sometimes 40 Watt Domain seem to be struggling for a cohesive identity, not certain if they want to be like the many mid-90s hard punk bands or something more akin to Foo Fighters. They're new and they've got time to settle that issue. Meanwhile, let's enjoy the experimentation, because they're good at it, and oh, by the way, "S.A.M." is ready for radio like right now.

© 2004 - DJ Johnson