Golden Age of Knowhere

Personnel: Chad Elliott (vocals, keyboards); James Lawrence Torres (guitar); Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez (keyboards); Alfredo Ortiz (drums, percussion).
Recording information: Infrasonic Sound, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographer: Jeremy Adams.
"It's all been done before and it'll all be done again," Funeral Party sing on the band's debut album, The Golden Age of Knowhere. Indeed, the band's sound borrows from two big early 2000s trends, dance-punk and emo. On the brash album-opening "New York Moves to the Sounds of L.A.," they like stirring up the culture war between those cities almost as much as they like fuzzed-out bass, shouty vocals, and cowbell. At times, they recall a less abrasive Blood Brothers, particularly on the close harmonies and serrated melody of "Car Wars"; the raspy yelps and jumpy rhythms on "Just Because" channel the Rapture or even early Hot Hot Heat. Elsewhere, "Finale"'s swelling choruses and gang vocals capture emo's earnestness, while "Where Did It Go Wrong"'s crooning is vaguely reminiscent of the Smiths and "Postcards of Persuasion" has a whiff of post-post-punk à la Interpol to it. What makes this lack of originality forgivable is Funeral Party's ample energy and their way with melodies and hooks that stick. They may not have as much depth as their influences, but at their best, their shiny surfaces are a lot of fun. ~ Heather Phares