Although a Virginia based emo band,
Stigma Rock Unit
is not a part of the formidable
Sleepytime Trio
-
Engine Down
family. The group does a solid job of capturing the sound, all the way down to
Jeremy Koren
's voice. The record does suffer from too many guitar solos and too much psychadelic noodling.
"Texas Hollow Road"
is almost a perfect pop single, but the endless soloing adds three minutes too many (although it does add the only way to tell the song apart from the
Pavement
anthem
"Summer Babe"
). The nods to rock history are a nice touch: the album's first cut is entitled
"Les Paul vs. Leo Fender,"
showing they are smarter than the average indie band. Unfortunately there is not enough to differentiate them from other likeminded bands with the exception of the heavy guitar emphasis, which is also the album's greatest fault. For fans of the genre, this will be a nice addition to their library, but for people unsure about emo, this will only confirm their worst fears. ~ Yancey Strickler