WE ARE THE ROWBOATS

Among all of the wild and crazy bands that come from Cuneiform Records, Krakatoa stands out from them by being not so out-there. It's still hard to classify this groups subgenre because they play a unique brand of pop-rock that impliments some avant-garde, classical and jazz elements into the mix, creating a pretty unique sound that is a whole lot of fun. The music seems really simple, but it's a bit more dense than it seems. There is good group interplay and while the song lengths are all under five minutes, save for one that breaks that mark by a mere five seconds, they get a lot accomplished. They album gets a little weak during the second half, but it's still got some goodies and none of the tracks are poor.

It's almost like a post-rock band that is all about good times and having a ball. One of the most fun albums I own. Highlights are the catchy "Spiral Drive," the violin driven "Telegraph," which is probably the darkest piece on the album, albeit still far from seriously dark, "You Deflect Happiness," Space Conqueror," and the bands interpretation of "Sabre Dance"