In a week of high profile releases, the one that deserves the most attention is this brief offering from Enumclaw. Jimbo Demo, the debut from this Tacoma, Washington band, roars with the kind of laid-back, fuzzed-out appeal lots of bands had in the Clinton years. Owing debts to U.K. acts like Yatsura and My Bloody Valentine, and Yank ones like Sammy and Dinosaur Jr., Enumclaw deliver music that's instantly likeable.
"Fast N All" sways with the kind of woozy attack that worked so well for the band Twin Peaks not so long ago, while "Cents" is harder by half. That one indicates some familiarity with the early works of Pavement and the styles of J Mascis, even as "Free Drop Billy" goes all in on the effects-pedal-driven, skewed pop of the class of 1991. Some of this feels like Eighties Sonic Youth to me, even if so much of what's here is more interested in tight construction and less experimentation. Enumclaw have a bright future ahead of them, and thankfully they've got a very firm grip on both technique and melody. I can't wait to hear much more from these folks.
Jimbo Demo will be out on Friday via Youth Riot Records.
[Photo: Brook Jones]