Wicked Farleys

Much of the dust has settled since Sonic Youth inspired an army of teens taken by their distorted ways to pick up guitars in the early '90s, and many of these second generation bands have evolved into spacy, quieter projects or disappeared from sight altogether. Despite what their name might suggest, the Wicked Farleys are in fact not an self-depreciating obese group of insane comedians here to offend. Not at all. They are of the remaining breed of truly guitar bands, caught up in distorted trebly madness and quick changes, with dynamic vocals (sometimes piercing, sometimes delicate) rushing in and out of the mix. An Unrest-like entrance greets listeners on Make It It, with tag team vocals by Michael Brodeur and Vanessa Downing swooping in quite nicely. Confronting lyrics suggest Brodeur's penchant for movement, change and activism, or simply just the elimination of apathy, as on "Trying Shoes On" where he pleads "Get up! Get up and out!" You could almost think of him as the softer, more easy going brother of Fugazi front man Ian MacKaye. Either way, the Wicked Farleys are worth more than their name, and Make It It makes up up for their disastrous debut.