Level C-s/t

Locomotive
2008

This all female band from Cleveland have been in existence since 2002. This is the band’s debut and I gave it a few spins and kept coming to the same conclusion. Almost every track begins with a short burst of something loud and heavy. Yet in turn almost every track immediately tones down and the music shifts down into a low gear. It’s loud, real loud, but it’s just a shame that volume seems to be more of a focus than having a structure that really attempts to accomplish much. It’s as if they just dying to get at the instruments strap them on and then turn the volume all the way up. Yet after that last step they hadn’t really considered what to do next and there’s a lot of standing around just trying to hide behind a wall of loud, basic and ultimately predictable music. The best part about this band is undeniably the vocals of Christine Maynard as she possesses a strong set of lungs and a fair degree of presence. Although there are a few points where she comes across as trying a bit too hard, but that could be that much of the responsibility of creating any momentum has fallen on her shoulders. Level C has put forth an album that does very little that you have never heard before and not enough to make you want to hear it again.

http://www.myspace.com/levelc