Reviews

Getting records like this while writing for a site called "punkbands.com" always catches me off guard. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but it just goes to show that punk rock has become a lot more eclectic than it used to be.

Macomb, Illinois's Mayhew the Traitor open up their debut album Deathwish with a alt-country inspired jam called "Shakin' with John Wayne," which is the weakest track on this album. Deathwish doesn't really pick up until the second track, "See You in Hell." At this point the band sounds like their channeling an angry Thom Yorke playing with Radiohead on the farm. As abstract as that description is, it's probably the best you're likely to find. Mayhew defy classification all over this record. The basis for everything is a folk/alt-country vibe, but it gets mixed with so many other genres through the course of Deathwish's forth-three minute running time that it's hard to say exactly what it is these Macomb boys are doing. The closest comparison I can draw to this band is Silver Jews with a greater emphasis on melody rather than storytelling.

As odd as this album is, it's definitely a quality record. You'd be hard pressed to find a stranger, more experimental album in this vein. The songs are drenched in such gorgeous melancholy that it's really hard to resist. This is a great album for a road trip and definitely one of the more unique releases in recent memory. If you can ignore that oddly placed first track, you're in for an excellent album that won't disappoint.