Published on Jan 4, 2001
Fifteen minutes might have been the time frame that the late
Andy Warhol said we’d all be famous for, but it’s sure not enough
time to make a decision on whether a band has promise or not.
Take New York-based The Distance Formula and their self-titled
EP. Contained on this disc are four songs, clocking in at around 15
minutes. Sure, that’s enough time for me to know if I like what I’m
hearing, but is it enough to make a prediction about this band’s
future?
What
The Distance Formula does tell me is that the band –
vocalist/bassist Dakota Gallivan, guitarist/vocalist Jeff
Steinhauser and drummer Bob D’Amico – remind me of a more
alternative-oriented Meat Puppets if they collaborated with early
R.E.M. There’s enough of the jangly guitars with just enough muscle
to remind the listener that these things are indeed plugged in, but
there’s also a more gentle approach to the music, as if going full
throttle at the songs would weaken them.
In a sense, The Distance Formula is correct in their approach.
Tracks like “Burning The Scotsman” (I’m sorry, but I can’t get the
image of Groundskeeper Willie from “The Simpsons” out of my head
when I hear this one) and “Apollonia” seem to suggest that the band
is indeed on the right track. The interweaving of the vocals works
well, especially because it is not overused.
Yet it takes a little time for the engines to get running full
steam for The Distance Formula on the track “Bandwidth”. This is
why I don’t like basing an opinion on a small selection of music –
it almost makes it sound like by the time the band hits their full
stride, the disc is over. Indeed, it’s almost the case… and I
have the inkling that The Distance Formula is better than even what
is presented in these four tracks.
More material from this band is needed before I’m ready or
willing to pass any sort of judgment on them. What I can tell you
is that
The Distance Formula has enough material to suggest this
band has promise, but it’s not enough to convince me one way or the
other. I’ve had a year to listen to this disc and mentally chew on
these songs…and I still am uncertain. So, we’ll rate the disc on
these tracks, and hope the next thing we hear from The Distance
Formula is a full-length release.