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| Pentimento - Pentimento | Pentimento - Pentimento
Record Label: Self- Released
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Finding some middle ground between blue-collar pop-punk and the varied offerings of Brand New, Pentimento’s debut full-length is something peculiar. Not that it’s out in left field, but in a world where pop-punk is touching on ‘90s emo and constantly dabbling in hardcore, the band’s self-titled effort is a bit of a refreshment in a somewhat stale pop-punk scene. Don’t let that comparison throw you off course though – regardless of the tempo they churn at, Pentimento prove to have some pretty amicable songwriting chops for a band just now getting to their first record. Simply said, this is a band you’re gonna want to keep tabs on.
Though opener “Unless” is a hard-working punk’s anthem, and rightfully so with slicing guitars and a driving tempo, “Circles” is the first big swing of the album. Channeling a restrained rock sound best described by everyone including myself as Brand New-ish, the simple guitar lines and harrowing vocals grab your attention with no intent of letting up – especially when the full band chorus kicks in. That vibe isn’t isolated to that track though, as bits and pieces of songs (“For Winter”) revisit it in some form or another. However, the bulk of this album resides in some honest, ever-so-slightly gritty punk that dabbles in some pop-punk ideals. “The Wind” displays that rather promptly in its switching between mid-tempo, driving riffs and bursting strumming when the tempo kicks up, while “Conscience (Consequence)” shows a balance between the band’s punk side and their bigger anthemic moments in what equates to a rather Taking Back Sunday-like number at times.
That point to point sound, which has a solid foundation with quite a few branches, serves as a more than adequate vehicle for the varying vocal deliveries of this album. “Conscience” makes prime use of the sing and shout dual-delivery tactic, but with a punch that doesn’t detract from one or the other. The cleaner vocals though have a slight amount of strain to them to keep them from sounding too polished, a bit of a compliment to the simple twang of the somewhat predictable acoustic number “The Bridge”. The vocal melodies shine strong on closer “On Summer” as well, soaring smoothly through the buzzing guitars and confident drumming. The gang-sung ending is perhaps not the strongest way to end the album, but it’s at least somewhat memorable considering what we hear from the beginning of the disc.
For a full-length debut, Pentimento shows more than enough promise to make me feel a little bummed for not picking up on them sooner. The songwriting is still a step or two from really clicking at all times, but for a band as early in their career as they are, it would be foolish to think they can’t continue to build on this momentum in future releases. The late arrival of this album is sure to intrude upon a fair share of prematurely made year end lists, leaving Pentimento as a favorite to truly make a name for themselves in 2013. |
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Displaying posts 1 - 15 of 25. |
09:33 AM on 11/13/12 | Nice review Jason.
Record is really, really good | | |
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09:37 AM on 11/13/12 | Awesome Record, Deserves a lot of attention!
I feel like I rarely see a review score on here that doesn't end with a 5 or 0. So that's new | | |
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10:20 AM on 11/13/12 | Such an incredible album, really hope releasing it for free works out for them | | |
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10:29 AM on 11/13/12 | I'm Angry Like I'm 18 Again The review is perfect. And the record is just mind-blowing, absolutely one of the best pieces of music of this year, a must-buy for every AP.net user. | | |
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10:31 AM on 11/13/12 | can't help but read the name as pimento every time I read it. and that has just hurt my appreciaiton of this band. sounds good though. | | |
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12:26 PM on 11/13/12 | can't help but read the name as pimento every time I read it. and that has just hurt my appreciaiton of this band. sounds good though. |
I have the same problem. Just now getting around to listening to them, this record is pretty solid so far. | | |
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01:40 PM on 11/13/12 | Please go support this band any way you can. Pentimentony.com
They put their heart and a lot of hard work into every song at every performance.
Subtle Words brought me to tears.
Please go check it out. | | |
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02:49 PM on 11/13/12 | this is really so good. i encourage you all to check this out. | | |
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04:04 PM on 11/13/12 | So is this like another one of those pop punk revival records? | | |
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04:41 PM on 11/13/12 | So is this like another one of those pop punk revival records? |
No, it's way better, this is probably the first pop-punkish record I've liked all year | | |
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05:28 AM on 11/14/12 | Seriously, this is an awesome debut full-length...these guys really took the high road by releasing the album for free in light of light Panic thing. These have been some of the coolest guys making genuinely good music, and they deserve all the credit they get. I would highly recommend giving the album a listen even if unsure. | | |
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02:33 PM on 11/14/12 | If Balance and Composure and Transit had a baby, they would surely name it Pentimento!
This and From Indian Lakes are hands down my top CDs of 2012! | | |
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02:59 PM on 11/14/12 | If Balance and Composure and Transit had a baby, they would surely name it Pentimento!
This and From Indian Lakes are hands down my top CDs of 2012! |
Not a bad comparison. Great album. | | |
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