Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Karmic Whiplash- The Nervous System Review

Artist: Karmic Whiplash
Title: The Nervous System
Website: http://www.karmicwhiplash.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/karmicwhiplash
Style: Folk/Rock
Label: City Duck Records
Rating: 8.3 out of 10
By C.W. Ross
 
Karmic Whiplash got started when Brendan Themes (vocals, acoustic guitar, bass), who had decided to go solo after tiring of playing his bass in punk and metal bands and having to deal with other band members decided to give the band thing another try.
 
He hooked up with multi-instrumentalist Travis Lund (drums, harmonica, electric guitar, banjo) and the two of them got started recording The Nervous System, which the guys say was recorded over a one-year period in various apartments and basements in Minnesota.
 
This release features 10- tracks with a running time of 24 minutes.
 
Their MySpace page list their musical influences as, Violent Femmes, Ani DiFranco, and Billy Bragg.
 
Even though Brendan may have left his punk roots for a softer sound you can still hear a punk meets folk rock music in several of the songs with their fast beats and robust acoustic guitar strumming.
 
For the most parts the songs are lively and focus on the vocals, which at times deal with quirky issues. The songs also feature very controlled drum parts that are often soft and melted into the background of the songs. I also liked the little punches of extras that come from the harmonica.
 
Karmic Whiplash's The Nervous System offered enough to keep my attention and is a pretty-well-done project from the duo.

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