I'm not easily surprised. But on the basis of their name alone, I'm actually surprised I'm giving a good review to a band called Limblifter. When the tape first hit my doorstep, I cringed and alternately cursed our beloved editor. On the basis of their name alone, Limblifter seemed to be death metal at its finest...which I still find unbearable. So, all set to write the review and tear the band apart, I put the tape in...but to my surprise, the first thing that I heard wasn't some guy who sounds like he smokes ten packs of Marlboro's a day telling he was "ripping my soul, eating my flesh".
Instead, I got two guys harmonizing "I feel, but I can't find the words" over music that is so bubble gummy that it would make The Replacements stand up and take notice. Having more in common with The Cars than Cannibal Corpse, Limblifter is not only not death metal, but it's about as far removed from death metal as you can possibly be (the one connection, both bands use guitars and drums). From the opening bars of "Vicious" to the closing of "Opinata," Limblifter combines that hip "alternative" attitude that all the kids dig with catchy hooks and good songwriting. There's nothing on their self-titled Mercury debut that you haven't heard before, but that doesn't mean that it's no good.
Most of the songs fall into the same sort of musical limbo inhabited by Weezer, with crunching guitars and slick vocals. The band's overall sound is built around brothers Ryan and Kurt Dahle, who play guitar and drums respectively, and share vocal duties. Their rich harmonies resonate over their songwriting on songs like "Death Defier" (the song titles are yet another reason the band's sound surprised me, since other songs are titled "Tinfoil" and "Beard of Bees") and "Screwed It Up."
By their sound alone, Limblifter should be able to go places. Now, if they can only get Spike Jonze to direct a video; I don't think anyone's doing anything with the sets from "Laverne & Shirley" these days...
