Pop Unknown
If Arsenic Fails, Try Algebra (Deep Elm)
by Tim Den
Now this is more like it. I was a little worried that Pop Unknown, with its “x-members of this-n-that” in tow, was going to disappoint me yet again (’98’s debut EP, Summer Season Kills, was a mediocre showing). Nope, not this time. If Arsenic Fails, Try Algebra is the result of the band’s last year-and-a-half on the road, playing with each other and figuring out how to balance pop sensibilities with the often-atonal melodies of emo. The band sports new members again (new bass player and an additional third guitarist), which probably strengthened the songs. Cuts like “Head in the Sand,” “An Offering,” “Lonely Here with Me,” and the irresistible “Oh Kay” (sweet title) all suggest that Pop Unknown is getting the hang of this “dreamy Brit-pop/atmosphere in bed with traditional emo” thing. Soothing tempos filled with emo guitar stylings, but salvaged from Bland City with written vocal lines.
(www.deepelm.com)