Benton Falls

With so many bands doing the whole slow/fast, loud/quiet, stop/start emo thing these days, it's a most welcome thing when someone does it right. On their sophomore disc, Santa Rosa, CA's Benton Falls gets it just right. The trio's songs veer ruthlessly between quiet reflection and full-throttle rage often within the same four-minute composition. The disc is reminiscent of Farside's brilliant "Rigged” disc, one of the archetypal releases that spawned the current emo/screamo revolution. Hard to believe at times there are only three of them (with the exception of the odd cello contribution). A band that truly defines power trio.