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Review Summary: B Sides the point? Well, well, well, dear reader, you know you’re in for a treat, with both the release in question’s title and the review summary being hokey attempts at humor. I promise this write-up will be quite concise. After all, that befits the material, a miniscule little two-song set of b-sides, totaling well under seven minutes in runtime. B-sides are, by their very nature, songs which were left off an album, and notable exceptions aside (go listen to ELO’s “Julie Don’t Live Here” right now), more often than not this means they don’t quite measure up to the quality of the surrounding material. I won’t argue that this isn’t the case here as well, but I Could B Midnight Sides proves quite enticing nonetheless, given the passionate Domestic Terminal fan club previously only had twelve songs to jam on repeat,and now we have fourteen, and additionally because this is a highly functional teaser for promised new material (coming soon!).
As might be expected, the two tunes presented here don’t stray far from the direction Domestic Terminal adhered to on their lovely debut. The influence of many of the myriad bands who orbit the shimmery intersection of indie rock, Midwest emo, and dream pop still holds true. “Gicky Stab” sees crystalline guitar work and hushed vocals very reminiscent of the band’s previously-unveiled works. On the other hand, “Meet Me In Denver” has more restrained instrumentation, feeling in its emotional intimacy like a kindred spirit to songs like “Capo 3 Song” and “Saint Mary’s Road” from I Could See Midnight Sky . All told, the two tracks won’t likely be remembered as Domestic Terminal’s best work, but they should be quite a treat for aficionados of bands such as Turnover, Jimmy Eat World, Moving Mountains, and American Football. Also, I have it on good authority that this little release works exceptionally as a companion piece for Michael Jackson’s Thriller . Give it a try!
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yo thank you for the kind words Sunny! Proud to have you represent the Domestic Terminal fan club
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Quick little light-hearted writeup for a nice little release.
Domestic Terminal is the band comprised of (among other people) Sputnikers YoYoMancuso and Bilbodabag.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Cheers man! Definitely enjoy your music, always glad to get more of it!
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Thanks for the review! Review pretty much sums up what'd we'd hoped for with this release, so always good to see that
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Surprised michael jackson - thriller didn't make into the recommended by reviewer section
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Cheers,@Bilbodabag!
@YoYo, I considered it but ultimately decided the last sentence was a better option.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
More DT? Yes, please
Also, love the title
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Dammit! There's already a review. Oh, well...at least it's a good review, and definitely better than mine. Nice work, Sunnyvale! I especially love the ELO reference.
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This was going to be my review (close to finished):
Summary: Despite not making it on to Domestic Terminal's debut, these two B-sides are far from cast-offs.
I really enjoyed I Could See Midnight Sky, and have been looking forward to a new Domestic Terminal album for quite some time. Instead of getting that, Jack, Tim, Kyle, and Matt gave us a couple B-sides to whet our appetite for the upcoming release.
These two songs are still of a quality consistent with the album despite not making it on there. ICSMS was filled with great songwriting, well-crafted arrangements, and adept performances with clever touches that unfold with more and more listens. The same ingredients make up this very short EP, which was expertly produced and mixed by Brendan Wallace and the band.
Opener "Gicky Stab" starts of slow, but it quickly picks up the pace. It manages to be both propulsive and laid-back. Matt and Kyle (drums and bass, respectively) move the song forward without pushing the beat, and because of that, the band never sounds harried or frustrated. Like many of the songs on ICSMS, Tim's sparkling guitar crystallizes "Gicky Stab"'s harmonic base, which gives Jack's pensive, melodic vocals an excellent framework. Everyone's talent is on display without anyone showing off, and yet they are able to stretch out and show us what they've got while supporting the song with exactly what it needs.
Though subdued, "Meet Me In Denver" speaks loudly to me. There are many details in this song for me to enjoy as a musician and listener. It's not easy to have a mellow, restrained song be interesting and dynamic without bombast, and yet, "Meet Me..." engages me without forcing me to pay attention. The rhythm section gives a loose-yet-disciplined foundation: they're tight but not tense or rigid, and they breathe and (dare I say) swing. The keys and guitars are perfect and don't get in each others' way, which allows the quiet, unobtrusive vocal plenty of room to let us know how content he is with this reunion and subsequent new beginning. "Meet Me"'s performance and arrangement is first-rate, which bolsters my confidence in Domestic Terminal's abilities: even their B-sides are well-crafted. Plus, Eb is the greatest key of all time. It's science.
Thank you, gentlemen, for releasing these quality B-sides to tide us over until the new album is released. I eagerly await it, and these two tracks will tide me over
3.75 out of 5.
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yo i can't believe two people were planning to review this lmao. Appreciate your support, Marc, as well as your wonderful thoughts on the music! We'll agree to disagree on the best key though (it's F)
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Sorry to steal your thunder, Marc! Appreciate the kind words!
@YoYo, as many reviews as there are songs on the release, don't see that a lot!
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^ Sowing is currently somewhere finishing up his ten paragraph opus
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
No worries, Sunny. It's first come, first served, and it's all good.
@YoYo...were these songs recorded during the same time as ICSMS or later? I compared the two, and I gotta say that these two songs have superior audio quality to ICSMS.
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^ later, and that's mainly because of a louder master that's more tailored to streaming platforms
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Yeah I've been meaning to weigh in on this. Both songs have that same magical atmosphere that made me fall in love with the LP. Part of that magic, I feel, requires time and emotional investment -- I'm going to abuse the comparison to death, but it's just like any Jimmy Eat World album. It starts off nice, then the more time you spend with it, and the more memories you make with it, the more it becomes a part of who you are. So for that reason these aren't insta-5/5 tracks or anything, but I guarantee you they'll accrue value over time that goes well beyond their objective sonic merits. Ya'll have tapped into a really special vibe, I hope you keep it going forever. (edit: just to clarify, Meet Me in Denver absofuckinglutely is a 5/5 track anyway though).
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We do love our Jimmy so any comparison is flattering
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Sowing i love you and your goofy Mario avatar
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Just got around to listening to this. Meet Me In Denver is indeed a 5/5 track.
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cheers dawg
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