Oh My Rockness

There are only four dudes in this Cymbals Eat Guitars? It sure sounds like 40. This young band from Staten Island makes a big sound, and not in the Broken Social Scene oh-everything-is-so-precious-and-chamber-and-orchestral sort of way. This is big sound in the indie ROCK, sort of way.

Cymbals Eat Guitars are primarily a -- wait for it -- guitar-driven band. Singer/guitarist Joseph "Ferocious" D'Agostino lets it all out. His urgent, slightly off-kilter vocals remind me a bit of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse meets Tim Kinsella. It's pretty much exactly what you want from your frontman. Well, what I want anyway. And he and his mates sure know how to make a simple opening guitar riff (and a little bit of keys) build into something more majestically optimistic. This music swirls and soars and distorts and dips. And it works. 4 members, my butt. I'm sticking with my 40 member theory.

Published 04/02/10