Let's pretend you're sitting in the chair getting an eye exam. The doctor makes you look through that huge machine while he fiddles with knobs and wheels. He says, "How does that look?" You respond that things look fuzzy and run together in a big blur. Instead of making it clearer, what if the doctor said, "Hmmm. Would you like me to put on some music to go with it?" If he did, THE STAPLER would be the perfect choice.

Musically, this Columbus, Ohio three-piece create a ruckus that's raw, jaunty, and occasionally in tune. Once the hooks start to set in (and there are many), the band conjures memories of 80s/90s lo-fi lords like DINOSAUR JR, SEBADOH, and THE GRIFTERS. Bassist David Turco Gura and drummer Lee Keeler deserve particular kudos for their impeccable ability to keep the whole thing from falling apart at any given moment. Tracks like "You Define Me (Substantively)" teeter on the very edge of trashcan indie rock and total cacophony. My hats off to the entire band for building this tension consistently song after song without totally allowing things to disintegrate. Guitarist Sean Wright weaves through twisted lines seemingly at random like a wounded housefly. But his ear for melody makes "Buttered Ghost" and "The Calvary Lasers" sound like long lost cuts from some old "120 Minutes" program with addictive choruses, avalanches of distortion, and off-kilter tempo changes. "To the Trees" is an amazing slice of rumbling melody that emerges from the din like a dollar bill tumbling from the dryer. No matter how many distortion pedals they link up on that one, the song remains a true-blue slice of poppy genius that would be just as potent with a simple acoustic. So, in honor of this 'verge of total collapse' music, I say celebrate! Work three consecutive 12 hour shifts, then go home and mess with the household wiring! Run the Boston Marathon while doing your taxes! Put an ice cold glass of lemonade on a solid oak table without a handy Candlelight Records coaster under it! And sometime in between doing all that stuff, check out THE STAPLER. The link below seems like a logical start.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/thestapler

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