Janis Figure combine indie rock, with 60's surf, 80's punk, a little piece of country and a don't give a shit glam rock mentality. There's a lot of fast rhythms included here and everything feels quite bare bones with the main focus being on the instruments and vocals, rather than epic buildups or song progression.

Vocally the CD is utterly flamboyant as animated lyrics howl and screech out with a playful mentality and amusing lyrics. Guitars blast out Dick Dale reminiscent surf melodies that are punched in with an alt rock meets punk and glam metal technique. There's a few stylish effects used here and there, but the sound overall really lacks any serious weight and feels quite thin. Bass is downtuned a slight bit and dizzyingly moves around in the background through the verses to let the guitar add ample squeals, before taking on the rhythm in the choruses to let the guitar indulge in hectic solos. Drums are rough sounding and don't use too much of the kit, but provide satisfying beats that once again feel meager and don't really add much depth, rather just keep the songs moving forward.

Although the bands strong point is most likely their live show, as the abundance of energy in place in their performance on this disc hints at, in the long run the disc falls flat compared to the more encompassing bands out there who incorporate engrossing song writing with a multitude of layers and volume. While bands like At The Drive-In take a grassroots approach and rely on their clever song writing skills to make brilliant songs out of little to nothing, Janis figure aren't endowed with such talents and the music can become tiresome, with songs becoming interchangeable, repetitive and uninteresting. Janis Figure are definitely trying to accomplish something different from the norm, rearranging the basic fundamentals of rock n roll, but without any direct focus or potency this CD will most likely only be enjoyed by a small niche of fans seeking edgy nostalgia.
(2 / 5)