You simply cannot understate the importance of the humble guitar-drum-vocals sound in the modern history of the world. And, even though it’s never had less weight on the charts over the last century than it does now, it’s never a wise move to count it out.
It’s the Seattle grunge sound that showed all of this, perhaps more than any other musical movement. The success of grunge bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains or Soundgarden is the equivalent to Gibraltar winning the football World Cup or a bunch of amateurs taking gold in the Olympics. These kinds of things should not happen.
But it did happen. And the powerful, mournful sound of those bands made the world a better place. Numerous groups from across the world are still working to pay homage to that sound. Denver trio Make it So do more than most to use grunge as the foundation of their colossal, confident, aggressive sound featured on their EP, “So We Make.”
The EP opener, “Fairlady” sounds like Uriah Heep being covered by Tad. The guitar riffs move from the murky to the grandiose with ease. The singing utilizes that familiar, lovely vocal grit that is, frankly, the genre’s biggest calling card.
Next, “Little Lot” teases love-struck melodies before launching into a deluge of distorted guitars. The song features the EP’s most direct, most easy-to-hum chorus. It’s the EP’s “Spoonman,” if you will.
And, yes, throughout, the band avoids simply delivering clubbing guitar riffs at every opportunity, nor do they wallow in self-pity as some of Seattle’s finest grunge rockers were accused of doing.
“XP” is a hooky, made-for-action video game soundtrack tune built around a very strong chorus. And “Mika” brings to mind a time in the 1990s when grunge rockers could command the pop singles charts.
As it turns out, So We Make’s approach to retro-grunge is quite progressive. The EP’s closing track, “Dogtown”, does the best job of synthesizing the band’s strengths. There’s a love here for jamming over chunky guitar riffs, an earnest desire to rock out, and a willingness to please general audiences. “You can keep a good dog down.”
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