Search - Progress :: Merit

Worth buying

J. Potts | New Jersey | 05/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is great - I have been following The Progress for years, and this release is one of their best."

A solid follow up to Golden State

Bud Seitzinger | Elkins Park, PA USA | 05/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The New Jersey indie quartet The Progress pulls no punches with Merit, their full length debut and follow up to 2004's Golden State, their 5 song EP. Showing a bit more maturity and sophistication this time out, the boys offer a heady mix of stutter-stop guitar lines, intricate time signatures, and the best call-and-response vocalizing since (name your favorite indie-emo-post punk pop call-and-response vocalizing band here). The songwriting ranges from complex math rock to quiet, reflective pieces. Mike McNelis on guitar and Evan Weiss on bass share soaring and softer vocal duties, while Eric McNelis, Mike's brother, handles lead guitar responsibilities with precision. Drummer Jason DiNapoli is the engine driving this train, quite powerfully but also with a fine musical sense. Exemplary of the best in the genre, the lyrics are at times achingly personal while managing to convey a sense of the universal. Let's face it, a lot of emo is a lot of yelling about chicks. That can get old fast. But from the wry --"Have you looked in a mirror? Can't you tell your reflection is ruining everyone's afternoon?"-- to the somber-- "From this day on I'm keeping up with you, a final day alive you've yet to choose"-- you're in safe hands with lyricists who offer so much more than just screaming about the opposite sex. Stand out up-tempo tracks include Paper and Ink, A Drug Called Tradition, Backwards from Ten, Maybe Maybe, and Similar Haircuts. In particular, the bridges in both Maybe, Maybe and Similar Haicuts give goosebumps. As a famous International Style architect once remarked, "God is in the details." Likewise, there's a lot of intricate stuff going on here that is best appreciated on repeated listening, and with headphones. Bringing the mood down a bit are the contemplative For Edward Wells, The Face of Better Moods, and the title track, Merit. These guys definitely have the chops-- complexity rendered crisply, the playing fierce and focused, yet delicate. I'm reminded of a scene from the documentary Rock School, where a young girl reflects on what she's gone through. Paraphrasing, she says something to the effect of "Yeah, once we can get through playing all this Zappa stuff, covering 311 is really no problem." Merit closes with the aptly titled This Thing Goes Forever, and, as with its seemingly interminable fade out, one hopes that The Progress will similarly endure. If this disc is any indication, they most certainly will. Merit is meritorious indeed."

This CD Lives Up to It's Title

Denny Paton | New Jersey | 05/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this cd! It has it all...interesting (sometimes alittle out there) lyrics ("pirates who seethe green"), pretty ballads (I can't get the title song, 'Merit' out of my head), songs with strong hooks, tight playing...If you like listening to your parents Jurrasic Rock cd's, especially bands like 'Yes' and love bands like 'Braid', you'll appreciate the complicated math-rock production of this band (excellent!!). Everytime I listen to it, I hear something new, and each song eventually morphs into my favorite. And then they have their simpler, softer side, too, with songs like 'The Face of Better Moods'. I, also like how the two songwriters, Evan Weiss and Mike McNelis (the lead singer), trade off vocals. Mike's voice is warm and gravely (I have yet to hear anyone sound like him), and it blends well with Evan's smoother textured vocals. Their voices are meant for each other!! As I said, I love this band!!"