Sholi

Sholi

[3/5]

Sholi are the type of band who will encourage students everywhere to light some incense in their dorm room, dim the lights and stare in a state of pseudo melancholy at their Radiohead poster. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the band; the musicianship of vocalist/ guitarist Payam Bavafa, bassist Eric Ruud and drummer Jonathon Bafus is exemplary, and some of the songs (particularly “Out Of Orbit” and the horribly titled “Spy In The House Of Memories”) are extremely well written. The trouble is that their debut album is saturated with the kind of contrived angst that seems to always maintain a level of popularity with upper-middle class white kids who don’t pay their own bills yet. Some listeners will marvel at the pained vocal harmonies and lyrics like “these feathers fell as bombs,” while others will groan. To each his own. (QUARTERSTICK; touchandgorecords.com) Brett Callwood