SILVER CIRCLE REVIEWS

THE CURTAIN SOCIETY, Inertia

From: The Noise, Mar 1995
Author: Tony Schinella

Last modified on October 4, 1995.


If you've enjoyed any of the obscure singles of tapes released in the past by the Western Mass. outfit known as The Curtain Society, then you'll definitely want to pick up Inertia. Welding big, huge atmospheric guitar sounds together with sing-song lyrics over a solid, upbeat tempo, this band successfully combines the best parts of early '80s post-punk (The Chameleons, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Psychedelic Furs) with the new '90s guitar movements (Fudge, Springhouse, and Catherine Wheel). All the songs, with the exception of the 7-minute dance opus, have sugar-sweet yet strong vocal and guitar melodies, written by front guy Roger Lavallee, that often float around in your head after you're exposed to them. A good example of this is "Holland," in which light guitar sprinkles just below the vocal parts, creating an almost blissful listening experience. The most evident element about this album is just how strong the songs and musicianship are. My favorite track is "Ferris Wheel," a song with a jaunty, moody bassline and an airy, jangly guitar part that eventually explode into a two-minute frenzied ending. This song should and could easily fit in with regular rotation at any commercial alternative rock radio station. In a perfect world, The Curtain Society would appear on the cover of all the major rock publications and their mugs would be on the walls of cool fans everywhere instead of all the bratty Brit bands that adorn them now. Other highlights include "You Never," with its curious double vocal parts, the reworked "September Scar Two," and the inclusion of past singles "All Over You" and "No Answer," which were worth their price when they were alone. Inertia will easily be a contender for album of the year.


The Curtain Society's Home Page at GIMA The GIMA Home Page

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