Nautical Disaster, Moviegoers, and the Burning of Rome

It had a pretty sweet little guitar solo in the middle…not really — you can write “sarcasm” after that statement. It was cheesy, and it sounded like the timing was off. It’s pretty light, lyrically, I would say. It was “I believe, I believe, I believe, I’m falling in love with you” — It’s very repetitive. It sounds like some old Unwritten Law or something like that. It’s probably something I would have listened to back when I was about 16…or maybe younger, like, 14. It’s standard punk/alternative, I suppose. That would be [a good song for] a Nickelodeon movie. It would be the song in the background when the sixth-grader is walking through the hall and he’s going to give his note to the girl he likes.
Artist: Nautical Disaster
Song: “Falling in Love” (from the CD Sevens)
Heard By: James Magnatta, Golden Hill

My initial reaction was that this song is very upbeat, and I liked the guitar riff and the bass drum. It’s sort of cliché American pop. It sounded like something I’ve already heard: very poppy, cute rock and roll. It’s kind of like a song I’d probably see in some hip teen show. It was fun; I could definitely see people dancing to it. The singer had a very soothing voice. His voice sounded very folky to me. [The lyrics were] about love, I guess. One thing that surprised me was their utilization of strings. That was pretty cool. I envision a lot of young teenagers listening to that music. It sounded very…I don’t want to say “epic,” but there was a story being told within the song.
Artist: The Moviegoers
Song: “SS Vaseline” (from the CD Or the Gun)
Heard By: Colleen Bordon, South Bay

It’s not what I thought it was going to be, judging by the look of the album cover. It sort of looks like an emo/hardcore thing, but it’s also called Death-Pop, which is exactly what it sounds like. If metal and the New Pornographers had a bastard love child, that’s what it would sound like. The reason I said it sounded like the New Pornographers is because they use this instrument that sounds a lot like a theremin. I don’t know if that’s what they used, but it’s got that same sort of weird, electro, organ-y sound. That definitely made them not sound like a regular rock band. I could see people listening to it at a party and going, “What the hell is that?”
Artist: The Burning of Rome
Song: “Solemn, Sweet Pipes of the Organ” (from the CD Death-Pop)
Heard By: Jane Lee, Clairemont