Electric Doormat (http://electricdoormat.com) certainly knows how to make a dramatic entrance. The opening cut on their "Evil Genius" LP, "A Matter Of In Fact," is a sledgehammer blow of guitar shrapnel and pulsating electronics. If Linkin Park had any talent, they would've produced this explosive intro, which isn't even the best tune on the album.
Unlike many of the alternative rock bands from the '90s, Electric Doormat has no reservations about mixing rocking riffs with synthesizers and vocals that, well, depart from anybody's definition of macho. Singer Ben Spees can be compared to the emo school of sensitive expression although he has greater range than his peers.
Another impressive aspect of Electric Doormat is their stylistic shifts; this isn't a group that remains in a quicksand of the same groove. They can leap from loud to soft, incendiary to poppy, without triggering a sweat. The influence of Radiohead's high-tech experimentation is sensed throughout, especially on "Small" and "We're Not Quite Lining Up." But while Radiohead sounds a tad awkward when cranking up the amps, Electric Doormat roars like an unleashed animal as on "Sweet Sharp Stabules" (absolutely ferocious!) and the title track.
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Electric Doormat is a brainy group with muscle; they'll bang your head while feeding your mind.
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