Melkbelly may be saddled with the kind of name that makes one wonder what names they decided not to pick, but their debut album shows that you can't judge a band by name alone. The Chicago quartet kick up all kinds of gnarly racket on Nothing Valley, calling to mind Dischord bands like
Fugazi with their stuttering rhythms;
the Breeders, thanks to guitarist Miranda Winters' melt-in-your-mouth vocals; wiry '90s bands with insistent guitar attacks like
Hot Snakes, and romping neo-punks like
White Lung. It's 100-percent indie rock all the way without being hopelessly derivative. Tracks like "Kid Kreative" and the electrified "Middle Of" leap out of the speakers to give the listener a smack across the chops; abrasive tracks like "R.O.R.O.B." will have those with weaker constitutions turning down the sound when the guitars start throwing off sparks as they grind against each other, and the occasional indie rock ballad like "Petrified" or "RUNXRN" bring things down just a bit, though the six-string attack never fails to draw blood. They also pull of some classic quiet-loud dynamic shifts on "Cawthra" and end the album with an almost six-minute track ("Helloween") that adds some psych-y darkness and features some truly ugly guitar noise and epic soloing. The album is a guitar lover's delight as both Miranda and Bart Winters wring every last molten drop out of their instruments over the course of 11 songs. Not to be outdone, bassist Liam Winters and drummer James Wetzel work like demons to keep up, and Miranda Winters' vocals walk the line between
Kim Gordon cool and
Kim Deal snark like a pro. Add it up and it's an impressive display of indie rock knowledge and ability, enough to make anyone thinking they should give the band a pass (despite their unfortunate moniker) some deep second thoughts. ~ Tim Sendra