Search - Sound Team :: Work

Fantastic Major Label Debut EP From a Great Austin Band

iamdmann | New York, NY | 12/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First EP in wide release from Austin's Sound Team. Released in anticipation of their full length record due in 2006, Sound Team, who appeared in New York's Central Park with Arcade Fire and David Bowie in 2005, have a fresh sound that is part rock, part alternative, and should be a welcome addition to fans of The Walkmen, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, and Radiohead. Overall a great introduction to a great new band."

Extraordinary talent and infectious grooves

Fonz | Columbus, Ohio | 05/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing sounds come out of this band...unique, complex, layered--totally infectious. Each song envelopes you in a swirl of sounds--they catch a groove and you can't help but find yourself closing your eyes and nodding your head. The moog is an excellent addition--not an overpowering sound--it simply accentuates what's already going on. These are some highly talented musicians, not to mention some of the nicest and most sincere guys I've ever met. They are absolutely AMAZING live. I can't wait for their major label debut in June 2006!"

Sounds like "Work"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 01/14/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the more promising young bands in the last few years is the Sound Team, an Austin band that isn't getting half the attention they deserve with their debut album. But it started with "Work," a solid little EP full of Spoon-ish rock'n'roll, loopy electronics and raw potential.



It opens with the raw, jagged chords of "The Fastest Man Alive," a driving rocker full of taut, muscular riffs and lots of verve. But then they take the opposite approach in the dribbling keyboard of "It's Obvious What's Happening Here," with a few riffs and chords drowned in a sea of somnolent keyboard and loopy blips. Good stuff.



Then it's back to driving rock'n'roll in the energetic, rough-edged "Orange Bird," and the slow-burning buildup of "In the Dark No One Can Hear You Sweat," which sounds a bit like a Velvet Underground B-side. And finally they lapse back to the keyboard stuff, with the ominous, bell-like pop of "Don't Turn Away."



You can tell when an EP is good, because it satisfies as an individual nugget of music, while at the same time leaving you wanting a full album. That's pretty much what is going on in "Work," which is overflowing with the band's talent and musical aplomb -- you'll rush out to buy their debut.



Admittedly, the band is a bit rough here -- their musical skills are still unpolished, and every now and then they have a slack moment. However, this is clearly because they're a young band -- the muscular guitar and bass erupt from their infectious melodies, backed by some very organ-like keyboard and smashing drums. Pure, punky rock'n'roll.



In fact, sometimes that rock'n'roll gets so powerful that it overwhelms even the lead singer. Matt Oliver gets drowned out by the music at several points, making it hard to hear exactly what he's singing. Hut he has a wonderfully howly voice that seems to be constantly battling it out with the bass and guitars.



Sound Team's debut EP is a wonderfully unpretentious, infectious, and rocking piece of work, and will have listeners rushing to their first full-length album. A delight."