Dryvetyme Onlyne

Memorial
The Creative Process/Berlin
Flightplan; 2008

Young bands typically have quite the tough row to hoe when establishing themselves in their local and regional scene. That journey can often turn into a rather brutal cycle that’s killed more than a few promising acts: write some songs, practice relentlessly, play a few local shows, write some more songs, practice some more, and start honing that stage show and those songs by playing out as often as possible. Somewhere in midst of that writing, practicing, and playing roller coaster, the band usually will start saving up enough tiny scraps of money to pay for a few hours of studio time to record an single, 7”, or (if they’re lucky) an EP to sell at shows so that their fans can take the music home with them. But every once in awhile, a band like Memorial (hailing from Richmond, VA) comes along to shake things up a bit and they’ve done so by releasing a double EP - on vinyl, no less – with four songs for each EP on either side.

The Creative Process launches off with “Who Are We To Say?” a scorching rock track that call to mind the glory days of ‘90s-era emo before tight jeans and floppy hair became the rage. “Sideways” smoothly follows by ramping up the passion with the shifting of the dynamics of the tone and volume (without it coming across as the typical “soft-loud-soft-loud”). Moving onto “Spades,” this is a mellow burner that pulses with brimming emotion, but prefers it to push at the seams and not allow it to topple over the brink. This side’s title track, while allowing for the occasional plateau of bombast at each chorus, progressively climbs up to its epic conclusion of anthemic rock glory.

Moving onto Berlin, Side Two begins with its title track and continues on with more of the searing emotive rock we heard on the first side, but with a bit more nuance and subtlety. “1933” has a driving rhythm, but it’s also the weakest spot in the entire effort, as it sounds tepid compared to other tracks. Beginning and ending with the simple strumming of an acoustic guitar, “Beneath” reveals the band’s hidden pop sensibilities and does so without slackening the band’s big rock heart. Inevitably, the project has to come to a close, but it does so with the best song from either EP, as “Munich” screams with cascading guitars that still frequently reveal their snarl and thundering drumming that culminates in a mountaintop rock experience.

Admittedly, not everyone has a record player on which they could be able to enjoy this album, so maybe Memorial’s record label will release this fine double EP in digital or CD form in the near future. After all, anyone with a hankering for some loud rock n’ roll that showcases some worthy vocal prowess should get a hold of The Creative Process/Berlin whenever and however they can.