Winter Shutdown - Chocolate Milk Everyday!

Artist Website: Winter Shutdown
Netlabel Website: The Bomb.com Records

Track list:

1 - Filibuster
2 - ...As If They Were Monsters
3 - Paranoid
4 - Truckload of Assumptions

Download links: [MP3]


Hello fellow music fans, I apologize for not updating for so long, real life kinda got really busy, but I'm going to try to get back on track with this blog, because it's something I really enjoy doing. Expect from here on out to see updates every Friday (unless I'm away from a computer for some reason). Anyways, this week's album is called Chocolate Milk Everyday! and it comes from Maryland-based rockers Winter Shutdown.

At first listen, it'd be easy to write this album off. Recorded in a basement by the band in the span of two weeks, the indie production values are hard to miss. However, there are many redeeming qualities that make this album an enjoyable listening experience. For starters, guitarist/lead singer Max Schrack's voice is spot-on throughout the album, both in pitch and rhythm. His voice complements the band's style of pop-punk perfectly.

When an album is recorded in such a bare-bones style, it is crucial that the musicians involved are very proficient at their respective instruments, and it is apparent that the guys in Winter Shutdown are good at playing this genre of music, and what's more, they enjoy doing it.

Overall I really enjoyed listening to this EP, but if I had to nitpick (and what kind of reviewer would I be if I didn't?), there were just a few small things that stood out to me. There were several times when the drums and guitars seemed to lose their sync for several beats, and while it wasn't a deal-breaker, it was noticeable. Another thing that might be more of a personal preference was that I didn't love the sound of the guitars. This can be written off on the low-budget recording equipment, but it just seemed to be missing a little depth (although to be fair, I hear the same thing from almost every band when they first start out, and usually their sound fleshes out as they progress).

My favorite track was definitely Truckload of Assumptions, the most high-intensity song on the EP, and the sound reminded me of a cross between Bomb the Music Industry! and Blink-182.

A solid first album from a talented group of guys, I can't wait to hear more from Winter Shutdown in the future.