Heave Media

Poison Control Center Release Double Disc

Poison Control Center's 'Sad Sour Future' bogged down with too many tracks.

Poison Control Center

Sad Sour Future

Released on May 18, 2010

It’s hard to be a hipster when you grew up in Detroit, a place where the musical legacy centers on Ted Nugent and Kid Rock. Heck I’m wearing a Bob Seger sweatshirt as I write this review. A handicap like that can be overcome but it takes a lot of work. Due to that I’ve never had the best ears when it comes to true indie-rock. It’s not that I haven’t tried to grow beyond my childhood biases, occasionally even succeeding, but usually it’s a pretty tough hill to climb.  

I would think a city like Ames, Iowa wouldn’t be much better than Detroit when it comes to living an indie life style but apparently the members of Poison Control Center have persevered. Of course it helps that the band members have all moved away from home. All four members actually live in different cities now and built the songs on Sad Sour Future by swapping demos over the internet. 

The result is a double CD opus with a total of 17 tracks. During the recording the band was able to keep their indie credibility intact by meeting at a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse near the Mississippi river where they recorded on all analog equipment. They also manage to cram many of the requisite influences into the first four or five songs. Tribute is paid to bands such as Pavement, They Might Be Giants and Sonic Youth.  

For fans of indie-rock Poison Control Center doesn’t disappoint. There are some really good songs on Sad Sour Future. The first few cuts, “Walls of City Hall,” "By the Wave” and “Being Gone” especially stand out. Unfortunately, the material gets weaker or possibly just more repetitive as you get deeper into the release. Once again this proves the old adage that if discretion is the better part of valor, editing is truly the better part of discretion. I think the band should have discreetly cut the release down to a single powerful disc. 

Even in my Bob Seger sweatshirt I wrested at length with giving Sad Sour Future a higher rating. In the end, it was just too many songs with whiny vocals that held me back. If you are cooler than I am – it’s ok I’m good with it –  you might think Poison Control Center is amazing. For that matter I will definitely say there certainly is nothing sad or sour in the band’s future. But if you are more of mainstream, less-hip music fan, this isn’t for you.  

Posted by Mike Stern on May 20, 2010 @ 9:00 am