The Active Set – 11

The Active Set – 11

Los Angeles four-piece, The Active Set, has served up a batch of alt-rock tunes that are as fun as they are smart on their debut 11.  Quirky percussion, bouncy bass lines, hooky guitar riffs and pained vocals filtered through a none-too-serious lens leads to equal parts shoegaze indie and beer driven alternative that is tough to categorize, but easy to appreciate.

Singer/bassist Matthew Stolarz, drummer Michael Castro and guitarists Wayne Russell and Francis Ramsden have collectively created a sound that takes the wind out of the supreme seriousness inherent in traditional indie/hipsterism.  If these gents teach us nothing else, at the very least they allow for some sunshine into otherwise irony-laden, dour days.  From the opening riffs of “Let the Games Begin” to the fading, danceable lines of “Famous for Dying” it becomes clear that if there’s a message to be found in 11, its one of taking life seriously but enjoying it at the same time.

Album highlights include the introspective, lyrically universal “Sea Legs,” the bubbly “Let the Games Begin,” the future Apple commercial fodder “Famous for Dying” and the darkened dancehall atmosphere of “Counting out Your Life.”  Fans of Bloc Party, Kasabian and Phantom Planet would do well to get their ears wrapped around 11.  Get your hands on it here.

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