Frederick Foxtrott

Worst Case Ontario
Burning Politely
Fall 2007
Unsigned

Burning Politely comes out of the gate swinging. The first track, You’re Glib, is packed with melody laden pop-rock super senses. It is a short jolt of candy cane crafted guitar riffs melded with a vocal style reminiscent of lazy mouthed song writing demigods like Paul Westerberg and Stephen Malkmus. What separates Worst Case Ontario from the rest is the contrast between Sam Weisberg’s hands and his lips. His voice is a specter of late eighties college rock while his hands play heavy pop riffs as a zippy guitar solo fast-forwards the songs into late 90’s alternative rock radio. The contrast can be heard most explicitly on the track Discouraging Things Happen at Recess. It truly compresses an entire decade into a single song.

Eugene Levy Unbilled is perhaps the album’s best track because of its consistency. I am a sucker for inconsistent music, but Worst Case Ontario is at their best when they bust out their stuff under 2:35. They aim to satisfy the nerdy late eighties college student in everyone. Unfortunately, they interject that influence with trite guttural “rawk” in songs like Purge. The vomitous vocalizations are meant to illustrate the song’s vomitous theme. The illustrative effort leaves the overall splendor of Burning Politely muted and diluted, not slanted and enchanted. Worst Case Ontario’s lyrics are not particularly interesting, complex, or witty, and they could certainly drop a few tracks off the record for a condensed and delicious EP, but they have a style that sets out to reinvigorate a sound that once dominated mixed tape nights everywhere.

When this band signs a deal, they will certainly find that their strength is not the replication or echoing of the various artists who have come before them, rather they will remind us why the slacker spirit will never die. It is not who they sound like, but why they sound the way they do. This may seem to be a line blurred beyond distinction, but the difference is important. Although they will create new music and structure it in new ways, Worst Case Ontario is the kind of band that will charmingly never venture too far from the indie heroes of yester year. That would simply be too much effort. While that sentiment may not be unique, it will always have a universal appeal in the world of independent music.

5/9

http://www.myspace.com/wcoband