The Boxing Lesson
Untitled (CD Demo)
 The Shmat could tell that this demo was going to be something sort of up his alley if the description that came with it was even slightly accurate: "atmospheric rock symphonies...lush sonic wash". Indeed, much of that promise was kept on The Boxing Lesson's 4 song demo.
The album starts off with "Mexican Disguise", a song reminiscient of the Beatles' "Because", with a pleasing guitar drone humming lightly in the background. It then proceeds to build dynamically through the use of tasteful keyboard and guitar arrangements laced with some of the morphinated sensibilities of Portishead and Idaho. The Shmat was a bigger fan of the spacey, atmospheric parts rather than the rockin' out, Neil-Youngish, double time change-ups like the one that appears near the end of "Motorola". Well, in spite of himself, the Shmat confesses he found himself bobbing his head to the beat. Hmm... maybe someone slipped him some catnip in his treats today?
The Shmat will try not to mention Radiohead or Travis because he has a feeling the band hears that reference too much and he thinks it's a sloppy comparison to make. But he will definitely say singer Paul Waclawsky reminds him of the Autumns and the Red House Painter's Mark Kozelek, especially when his voice heads for the stratosphere near the song climaxes.
Definitely not in the welterweight category, this CD is a fine lesson on how to spar with the best stratospheric rock bands in indie music today.
- review by SHMAT (3.30.03)
Paul Waclawsky
1337 1/2 Laveta Terrace Los Angeles, CA 90026
jj@theboxinglesson.com
www.theboxinglesson.com
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