hardboiled

exit clov's respond respond

by joanna kim

Led by twin sisters, Emily and Susan Hsu, Exit Clov is an up and coming indie band that has been receiving a lot of hype. Their band includes guitarist Aaron Leeder, drummer John Thayer, and bassist Brett Niederman.

Exit Clov does not exactly fit the genre of alternative rock. They are more a mix of techno, pop, and alternative: “techpoptive”. Despite this unique spin to their music, their music is not always pleasing to the ear. The first track on their CD Respond Respond was unnecessarily screechy and mediocre in terms of melody. Though their headache-producing beats and bad musical choices may turn off non-alternative listeners, avid alties will love them.

The musicianship and the album choices made are a mix of harmony and cacophony. They created their “techpoptive” style by combining synth, violin, guitar, bass and drums liberally. Many of the early, screechier tracks gave me a headache, but by the fourth song or so, the melodies became a bit softer and the music was more palatable. Exit Clov would have been better off producing a whole album of songs with the soft quality of “Violent Berries.” Despite the monotonous beat, the violin on the track mixes beautifully with the sweet voices of the singers and the refreshing lyrics. Throughout the album, the guitar solos were well played and the vocals were terrific.

Those two attributes are possibly the only redeeming features of Exit Clov. Their vocal talent was a hidden gem that revealed itself through the course of the CD. Exit Clov’s vocals are not the strong, “Christina Aguilera, sing my lungs out” sound. They have a more edgy sound, while still managing to be sweet. The female singers harmonized well (perhaps because they are twins?) and their voices meshed well with the “techpoptive” style.

All in all, Exit Clov is a talented band well worth checking out. Hopefully they will improve with time and someday create a CD that appeals to more than a minor subset of people.