Campus Circle - November, 2001
L.A. Underground
(Review)
By: Jessica Machado
Lister has concocted the perfect combination of familiarity and
ingenuity on their demo and full-length release Half Built Set.
Although their sound resembles Smashing Pumpkins (circa Siamese
Dream) and Weezer; you can’t wrap, package or label Lister
into any one category. The band describes itself as Bob Dylan
meets the Beach Boys, but lead singer Stuart Lister sounds less
the twangy and whiney Dylan and more the nonchalant storyteller
like John McCrea, lead singer of Cake. Ditto for the melody; not
so much surf tones, but more emo/alternative-friendly beats.
Brothers Stuart and Michael Lister harmonize their vocals on bittersweet ballads “Breathe In” and “Sweet Revenge”, and bassist Danny Rowe and drummer Marco Rayes carry the catchy rhythms of “Set Us Off”. The band plays tight and clean on every track and the final song, “So Real”, would make a great backdrop for any WB teenage drama with its screw-the-world-I’m-getting-a-fresh-start theme. These boys from Canada may be new to the waters of California, but they have the tools and resourcefulness to catch the big game out in L.A. For more info, go to www.listermusic.com.
[Home] [News] [Releases] [Audio] [Video] [Live] [Pics] [Forum]