The Exit

Home For an Island (Some)
by Tim Den

Let’s get this out of the way: The Exit are a fucking awesome band. They’re a power trio that possess ludicrous technical prowess as well as rhythmic dexterity, daring to challenge lords such as The Police and Talking Heads for their thrones. Seriously, I thought I liked their debut (’02’s New Beat), but when I caught these guys live last year, WOW were they beyond recording’s capability of capturing sound. Especially the drummer. The man made a joke out of other bands’ skinsmen. It was like watching Heath from Mock Orange or Stewart Copeland on crack.

That said, my enthusiasm for Home For an Island is only tempered by the fact that the bio throws so many goddamn “selling points” in my face. When I listen to this expansive, sweltering, tropical monster of heat and passion, I don’t give a fuck about their booking agent (same as Elvis Costello’s and The Strokes’), how Recover loves them (maybe Recover should take a hint and write some good music for a change), how one of them has an “influential” family member in the “biz,” or how they’re currently living with the next Basquiat. Trivial “did you know”s don’t mean shit without the kind of minor-based, lopsided beauties that, thankfully, The Exit create. So don’t fucking shove hype down people’s throat, alright? Let the music speak for itself. Cuz this industry is already so over-populated by bands propped up by empty press, that losing authentic artists like The Exit would surely be the death of real music.

Home For an Island is rich (Ron St. Germain never fails), and daring in its pursuit of deep grooves and heartfelt serenades.
(www.some.com)