SAM SQUARED starts off quite cleverly. You see, they started life as a duo: Sam Doman and Sam Allard, hence Sam Squared. They were joined by a bassist, whose name is unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, otherwise the band name would no longer be appropriate) not Sam. His name is Matt. Anyway, perhaps more important than the genesis of the name is the music. It's not as knowingly clever as the band name, but it isn't half bad. "Let's keep it simple" cries their Myspace page. And they do. It's simple, and for the most part, it's effective.
It's lo-fi, with plenty of hooks, driving, often crunchy guitars, and post-punk rhythms. 'Dolphin Dog' and 'Taker Down' are good starters for ten, showcasing the anxious, itchy popped-up rock that goes right for the pleasure centres in the brain. It'll get your feet tapping too and the vocals are pleasingly harmonious, the two Sams often duelling playfully.
The music feels in a similar vein to Pinback (especially 'Crashes') and Minus The Bear without the relaxed melodies and interweaving vocals of the former or the math-rock, frequently odd sensibilities of the latter. The press release also mentions Modest Mouse, which is a pretty decent point of reference too albeit without Isaac Brock's frequently anarchic delivery.
It's a perfectly well-executed slice of slightly alternative post-punk rock that loses out to the above-mentioned bands because Sam Squared don't really show enough inventiveness once they've blasted through the first few tracks. There's nothing wrong with a bit of immediacy: our culture is one that values the instant hit, the quickest results, the fastest buck, but once that first rush is gone, there needs to be something to keep you coming back.
Sam Squared gives a good rush but it doesn't last. Variety is few and far between: 'Chasin Rabbits' pulls out a rolling, undulating 3/4 rhythm which bulldozes away with aggressive guitars and a wandering bassline and 'Crashes' throws in time changes, slow downs, plenty of energetic shouting and more aggressive guitars. Indeed, it is very hard to fault the band's energy or effort. They're really throwing everything into it. And I imagine that they're very exciting, sweaty and great fun live. But having fed it through the recording process, it just feels a bit lacking in that spark that separates the great bands from the good bands.
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'Worker', the final track on the album, feels like a come-down track, drifting along as it does with just acoustic guitar and voice. It's a nice attempt at offering something different, but it feels a wee bit late at this point to be throwing in what feels like a slightly half-hearted stab at variation, almost like an afterthought.
The press release recommends giving 'Puppies 'n' Kittens', 'Tracker' and 'Don't' a bash first of all. I think any prospective listener would do better to grab 'Taker Down' first off, which is handy because it's track one on the album. 'Tracker' is worth a listen too, as is 'Dolphin Dog'. After that, it's up to you, dear listener. How much you like the album will depend on how much you enjoy those tracks.
www.myspace.com/samsquaredband
http://samsquared.net/
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