Blam

It’s not often that an album’s opening track manages to completely obliterate preconceptions of a band. I think anyone these days is going to take another "the” NYC rock band with a grain of salt and with a name like the Blam, you’ve got to figure the strikes have been building up against the group. But then they hit you with a track like "Death Or Glory” (no, not a Clash cover), which opens up their sophomore record with an exceptional NYC rock by-way-of early ’90s 4AD/latter day Jesus & Mary Chain sound. Though the rest of Caveat Emptor is rarely as intense, it does open the door for its journeys through jangly pop, acoustic balladry and mid-tempo art-rock to be heard with a completely different set of expectations. A good thing, since there are a handful of great songs here, especially the title track, "Writing on The Wall” and sentimental closer "Everybody.” "The Box Is For Me” is the only completely disposable track, a minor blemish on what stands as not only a significant step up from their debut but a release that should bring them closer to being recognised as a worthwhile talent from the New York scene that thankfully rarely sounds like they’re even a part of it.