Press to Meco
Affinity


3.3
great

Review

by Julianna Reed EMERITUS
June 2nd, 2013 | 26 replies


Release Date: 2013 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A pop band, thinly veiled under the 'progressive rock' label

Press To Meco specialize in pop music, but impatient listeners won’t be finding this out anytime soon. The band’s debut release launches with its least alluring quality-- curiously placed progressive metal riffs, which function as a red herring to the group’s true sound. It feels like Press To Meco is striving to be a Closure In Moscow-lite band that wears its diverse influences on its sleeve, but this sense of identity crisis diminishes Affinity’s potency more than anything.

And the tragedy of Affinity lies herein: the release’s derivative nature will lead many to disregard it. The most vibrant moments of the EP are where Press To Meco’s knack for melody bursts through the otherwise monochrome palette. The greatest example doubles as the album’s strongest song-- “Wasting Time” has enchanting vocal melodies, to the extent that the track would be perfectly fine without any other worthwhile contributions. But Press To Meco still arranges a background of stunning atmosphere, which marries the vocal interplay with an infectious flair.

At least the band knows to recognize vocal harmonies as its high points, despite the flat musicianship used to glue them together. And really, these transition points are as cookie-cutter as they come-- this works in Press To Meco's favor, though. The chug-heavy riff towards the title track's conclusion is redundant-- something we’ve all heard from the new wave of Meshuggah-worshipping metal acts-- but it works for “Affinity,” because we know what to expect. It simply makes the most sense for Press To Meco to utilize the most accessible elements of all its influences, because this album is, at its core, as poppy as they come.



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user ratings (8)
3.4
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Yuli
Emeritus
June 2nd 2013


10767 Comments


Video for "Affinity," probably my least favorite on this thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzVRK3zTDgA

I wish I could link the best tracks here, but you can stream them on Spotify. The EP's center is its strongest point.

xVision
June 2nd 2013


662 Comments


Might check this out.

Yuli
Emeritus
June 2nd 2013


10767 Comments


You should, man! It's a very catchy record, despite its obvious setbacks. Check out "Wasting Time," and see what you think.

Calc
June 2nd 2013


17340 Comments


reminds me of monty are I or Nural or madina lake with more distortion.

Brostep
Emeritus
June 2nd 2013


4491 Comments


May check this given Icarus the Owl are recommended. Would you like some feedback (haven't looked at the review yet)?

xVision
June 2nd 2013


662 Comments


Alright, I'll check it out, thanks Omaha!

MeatSalad
June 3rd 2013


18563 Comments


ehhh no thx but GEWD REVIEW

Yuli
Emeritus
June 3rd 2013


10767 Comments


Let's go with feedback on another of my recent reviews, Will. I have some bigger ones coming up, and I feel fairly confident about this one.

And yeah Meat, don't think you'd be a fan of this-- especially considering it has very little to do with the 'progressive rock' tag. Dem harmonies, though.

SitarHero
June 3rd 2013


14702 Comments


Not sure if I really like this band or really dislike it. To me it sounds like they're constantly straddling the line between complete awesome and total fail.

Also, I'm digging the succinct review. Everybody gets too wordy around here and expects everyone else to be wordy. Three paragraphs is enough for most albums.

Yuli
Emeritus
June 3rd 2013


10767 Comments


Thanks Sitar. I definitely have a thing for longer reviews (like my Baths one omg,) and it can be tough being succinct when you have a lot of ideas floating around. With this EP, I have less music to write about, so writing succinctly comes more naturally.

I'm starting to move towards shorter reviews, but I'm finding that it's harder than I'd ever expected! Haha, maybe I'll get the hang of it by the end of summer.

xVision
June 3rd 2013


662 Comments


Hey Jacob I actually can't find a download for this..

Catatonic
June 4th 2013


161 Comments


Their name makes me think of Fair To Midland whichis also kinda prog-poppy... any similarities beyond that?

oltnabrick
June 4th 2013


40636 Comments


Faux prog alert

Cormano
June 4th 2013


4074 Comments


just tought I'd let you know "meco" means cum in spanish

Yuli
Emeritus
June 4th 2013


10767 Comments


Oh man. That is a hilariously unfortunate translation.

So we're in quite the pickle, aren't we? The band is apparently only selling the EP from their website, and it's only streaming on Spotify. Which means, I guess, that if you don't live in the U.S. or Canada, you would just have to buy it to listen to it??

xVision
June 5th 2013


662 Comments


It even says I can't listen on Spotify and I'm in Canada.

Ecnalzen
June 5th 2013


12163 Comments


Damn. This is surprisingly detailed for how short it is.

Yuli
Emeritus
June 5th 2013


10767 Comments


Haha, glad you noticed! I originally planned to write one paragraph for this, but I had too much to say for such things.

Cygnatti
June 9th 2013


36025 Comments


I like prog! And I love pop! :D

SitarHero
June 9th 2013


14702 Comments


But it's like Indie Pop. These guys are like a Djenty Biffy Clyro.



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