I'm jealous of indie musicians, I really am. They are the ones who don't have to worry about airplay or corporate pressures -- they just go and play their hearts out. Whether or not the music is good is up for debate, but in any case one has to appreciate what the band is doing. This can make it a joy for a critic like myself to be presented with a disc of solid music. Enter Parlor Noise.

Parlor Noise comes to us from The Drawers, a trio that quite simply knows how to rock. This isn't the clean, smooth sound of say, Boston, or the "gritty" sound of Nirvana. Parlor Noise is loud, heavy and not afraid to take chances.

What first impressed me was the skill level of the band. From the gripping opening guitar and bass riffs, The Drawers had my attention. The first three tracks on the disc are arguably the best, which unfortunately makes the rest of the album somewhat of a "letdown." The third song, "Make Death Count," stands head and shoulders above the other tracks; it's a brilliant fusion of The White Stripes, U2 and even some Beatles in there. There really aren't any lyrics per se, just a pounding, driving beat that I automatically locked into. Chris Duckett's vocals swirl around, conjuring up images of Bono himself.

So now that The Drawers had gotten me hooked, there was the little matter of finishing the disc. The spacey "Dear Earthlings" sounds a tad out of place considering the rest of the material, but the percussion work of Brad Everett keeps the song from going too far out there. "Where The Sea-Lanes Led" is easily the most unique track to be found on this disc; I think I actually heard some keyboards in there. "Manic Defense" finds the boys pumping out a '70s punk sound, to great effect.

As always, no album is perfect, and there were a few missteps to be found on Parlor Noise. For example, the instrumental "The Bayonets" fails to bring anything new to the table; the other instrumentals featured on the album are much better. Secondly, and this I can understand, at times it seemed that the band wanted to make Duckett's voice sound weird for the sake of being weird. For the future they should cut back on the studio wizardry.

Parlor Noise is a good album, one that The Drawers should be proud of. Considering that this is their second album makes the listen even more impressive. With just a few minor tweaks, the band's next works could be even better. I just hope I'll be able to listen to them.

Rating: B+

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