[3/5] A quick rundown of Signal To Noise's more notable tour partners-Planes Mistaken For Stars, the Blackout Pact, Love Me Destroyer-should give you an idea of what to expect from the four-year-old Colorado band's debut album: serrated melodies, whiskey-soaked vocals and enough testosterone to make a eunuch sprout neck hair. Indeed, there's a fine line between later-period Hot Water Music and early Soul Asylum, and these guys have found it, leaning toward the former on gritty post-hardcore standouts such as "The Wolves" and "Wish Me Luck," and toward the latter on most everything else. That is, until they hit mid-album and their Sparta and Jimmy Eat World influences start leaking through via tracks such as the martial, anthemic "The Problem" and "A Mendicant" (both of which you'd swear have Sparta's Jim Ward singing counterpoint) and the nearly danceable "To The Bitter End (I'll Be With You)." Which isn't to say these latter tracks disrupt Kodiak's flow: If anything, they show even more interesting avenues in Signal To Noise's future. Problem is, the band don't seem aware of which route to be taking now. (EYEBALL) Aaron Burgess
 Official Website: http://www.eyeballrecords.com
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