I suppose I should start this review with a bit of disclaimer: before I went to this festival I didn’t really listen to most of the bands on the billet. I mean I listed to a few Diamond Youth songs here and there, I know a handful of I Am The Avalanche songs, I know that one song off Juntura and I think I’ve heard that song about swimming pools by The Front Bottoms. Get ready for a review that is probably going to make some totally weird comparisons between bands.
I can assure you dear reader that this changed after this festival. In fact I’m listening to I Am The Avalanche right now as I typed this review (thanks Spotify!).
But before I delve into the main review which is pulled from the scribblings I made in my little blue notebook between sets I’d lake to take a few words to talk about one of the openers: Diamond Youth. It’s thanks to these Baltimore-based (kinda, more on that later) rockers that I got a photo pass for the festival so they gain they’re own mini write up before the general one. The Meltdown fest marks the third time I’ve seen Diamond Youth and marks the time I finally got into them (I was singing along in the photo pit). When I first saw them I only really knew that they played alt-rock in the style of the 90′s and was made up of members of Trapped Under Ice and Terror (let that one sink in). Being relatively young I didn’t really listen to that much music in the 90′s and in the 00′s I didn’t really listen to 90′s alt rock so they didn’t really inspire me to listen to them that first time.
Fast forward to the iDobi Meltdown Fest. Since I knew that they were going to be my main focus of the evening I figured I’d give them another chance. I played both of the albums front to back and once I heard a song that reminded me a bit of older Jimmy Eat World I knew that I could count myself as a fan of the band. It just took a year and a half and seeing them two times to happen. But it happened. So needless to say when they played I was ready for a good show. Diamond Youth did not dissapoint, it’s like they took everything bad out of the 90′s music scene and left everything good in. 90′s music for a new generation. I had a hard time remembering what band they reminded me of aside from Jimmy Eat World and it wasn’t until they played The Pixies between sets that I knew what band they reminded me of: The Pixies and for one singular reason: the crooning of Justin (if that’s the right word). Dude sure can croon, it sounds great. Being that I know exactly one Pixies song this comparison may be totally off.
To sum it all up: Diamond Youth rocks and you should get into them. Also they’re made of members from Baltimore, Chicago and Richmond. They work hard. Support them.
And now onto the rest of the review. Here’s a hint: I’m going to be using the word Indie a lot and cribbing from the Idobi Meltdown bio page and my hastily scribbled notes.
