After hearing only fifteen seconds of My First Earthquake’s debut album Downstairs, I was hooked. This energetic quartet exploded my eardrums with electric indie irreverence.
My First Earthquake is fronted by Rebecca Bortman, whose lyrics and vocal presence far exceeds any offering from the “pop punk” ladies of today. Bortman continues the tradition of strong front-women, following rock goddesses like Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett and Debbie Harry.
Rounding out Earthquake is: Chad Thornton on keyboards and bass, Dave Lean on guitar, and Andre Salcido on the drums. Each member of this San Franciscan foursome perfectly complements the other while maintain their own distinct voice, ensuring a finely blended rock smoothie. Think Garbage without the creepy goth vibe.
You will feel the first tremors with “Cool In The Cool Way,” an anthem for the odd and clumsy girl. It is the perfect first step to June 20th’s Downstairs release, introducing you to a band the likes of which you haven’t heard before.
“Clean Clean,” a track that sex-ifies domestication, manages to turn you on and make you laugh at the same time. “Meat-Pies” details the desire to literally eat chubby men and instantly becomes the poster song for cannibalism. “Mad Tight” covers the struggles of a woman and her rebellious dress.
As you can see, My First Earthquake covers subjects of the everyday societal variety as well as the absurd. Every of these ten tracks has been carefully crafted, making it impossible for you to mistake one for the other. Normally I find about four to six songs from any given album resonate with me enough to stick with me after I’ve turned off the iPod. Every single one of Downstairs’ offerings lingers after the album is over.
Quirky yet successful choices abound for My First Earthquake. Their electronic backgrounds reminded me of the countless hours spent on my Nintendo during my early years. Obviously a pleasant memory, Earthquake combines my nostalgia with my honest love for good music no matter what the genre.
If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t said anything negative about Downstairs. That’s because I didn’t find anything to critique. The album is short, only clocking in at about twenty-eight minutes, but it doesn’t feel that way at all. (Don’t ask me how they managed to pull that off, but they did.)
My First Earthquake has instantly jumped to the front of my playlist and has the talent and emotional mix to remain in the top spot. I could not recommend picking up this album with any more insistence. It’s not a question of if they will be a break-out success, but when.
You can pick up Downstairs and the 2008 EP Tremors from My First Earthquake on iTunes and Amazon. They can next been seen performing in the Mission Creek Music Festival at San Francisco’s The Knockout on July 15th.
Check out their website for song snippets and band info.
