WHO'S MINI NOW!?!?!? (not miniboone)

  MiniBoone has long been one of my favorite local bands to catch live. They make every show feel like a party; high energy, danceable grooves, and plenty of sing-a-long moments that pull even the most tired and burned out concert goer off their barstool and onto the floor. The band consists of Doug Schrashun, Craig Barnes, James Keary (guitar, keys, vox between the three of them), Anthony Aquilino (bass) and Drew St. Aubin (drums), and they bring the complete package. Big group vocals and huge chords, and all the way down to pokey palm muted rhythmic riffs. I was super excited when I heard they were coming out with a full length album.

The guys in their natural, glowing, irradiated state.

  MiniBoone's self titled debut album catches a lot of the explosiveness of their live performances, probably about as much as humanly possible. The album peaks around loud gang vocals and climatic choruses; it kinda breathes in and out between them and the staccato punctuated verse grooves. I guess I'd say the album captures about 85% the energy of their live performance, which is good reason to catch a live show and by no means a knock on the album. But the nice thing about this album for me is how well done the kinda sweet/tender soft parts are. These guys can lay down next to you and drift off to sleep. They aren't just party animals. They have a soft side.

  The opening track, "The Superposition of Human Affection," is a spastic rocker that clocks in just under two minutes. These guys have a sense of song-craft that is really as well tuned as any pop artist out there. The following track, "I Could," adds a little more diversity, while maintaining the bands trademark textures. The guitar lick over the second verse kills me. MiniBoone made a video for it, check it out below.




"Phases" is one of my favorite tracks. It's a sharp little number defined by a 16th note hi-hat line. A guitar heavy bridge changes the feel for a split second, before a change to one last chorus. Every song on this album is stick-in-your-head-able, but this one seems to log itself in the forefront of my inner iPod, followed by "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" and "Baby, I Hope So" as close seconds.




"Magic Eye" is the best example of the band's quiet intricacies coming to the forefront. It's a track that feels old and modern at the same time. To me, it's the most surprising song on the album. Though MiniBoone is mostly rockers, "Magic Eye" shows that they can simmer down, collect themselves, and focus their energy on something delicate and beautiful. "Animal Age," the last song on the LP, is another gem.





  You should listen to this album and then go see these guys play live. It's as simple as that really. There aren't many bands that can cover as many basses as these guys. Track them down when they're in your town. You'll thank me for it.

Check out Miniboone on Bandcamp ---> here.

Like them on Facebook ---> here.

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