Brandtson

Hello, Control.

[3/5] Apparently, someone in Brandtson has been spending a lot of time in Anglophile nightclubs, as the formerly heart-on-sleeve emo underdogs from Ohio have inexplicably gone U.K. dance-rock on their new album. Compete with na-na-nas, synthesized beats, angular guitar riffs and a freaking Vocoder, Hello, Control. is like a bizarre (at least to those familiar with the band) tribute to the dancey retro-rock of British bands like Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs. And though the album is not technically bad, and Brandtson have at least retained some of their introspective pop-power sensibilities (see the shoegazey “Tapping The Vain”), the overarching theme seems to center around the track “Nobody Dances Anymore.” Maybe in the clubs Brandston usually play, they don’t–but isn’t that to be expected when you spent your glory days signed to an emo label?
(THE MILITIA GROUP) Emily Zemler