Tres modern(e). Deer Fang mixes all of your 90s faves (scrawling guitars, shoegazey scrims, anthems that seem a bit too extreme for the subject matter) and--oh wait, that stuff has come back around again! Cool!

Deer Fang Forest for the Trees (self-released)

I'm not even being facetious. I'm always in favor of overdosing on the maximalist side, and Deer Fang throws everything it has into these bombs. Rock has always been about finding the sublime in the vaguely ridiculous. In case you're young, "Teen Spirit" was the shitty Axe of its time. So, yeah, a scrawled note about a noxious scent inspired the song of a generation.

Which is as it should be. Deer Fang is not profound, but it's sure ambitious as all get out, and the band works so, so hard. Hearing the work isn't great if you're a power pop outfit, but if you're a kitchen sink rock band, then fuck yeah! Throw another brick into the pot.

Your mileage with this will vary depending on how much of today's 90s retro movement appeals to you. There's nothing profound going on here. But dammit, it sounds so good turned up to 11. And once you get past double nickels, tapping into youngster angst always feels good. At least until the back gives out.

Jon Worley