The emotive brand of rock that Cordova plays on “Lie Until It Becomes The Turth†draws equally from the deeply affecting brand of rock put on CD by the Deep Elm bands of the early 00s and vague hints of the emo structuring present in heavy proportions in the current period. “Some Killers Are Fashionable†has a pseudo-dance rhythms snuck behind the splashing drums and intense vocals on the track. Topping it all off are the “Jessie’s Girlâ€-like guitar riffs that slyly recreate the simplistic 80s.
The twenty minutes that mark this disc’s length are just barely enough to get a taste of what Cordova has to offer. The dreamy set of vocals that dominate “Stars and Math†really control the track, more so than the subdued instrumentation that nevertheless boils under the track. Extraordinarily kind on “Lie Until It Becomes The Truth†is the production values, which allow for a high ceiling, not low and compressing nor high and echoing. This allows the track to start shuffling pretty wildly by the end of the track, with the only aurally noticeable flaw was the distortion on the high-hats, exacerbated by their own echo. The arrangements during “Lie Until It Becomes The Truth’s†penultimate track “Not In Suburbia†really pushes the track forward, and the multi-part harmonies on the track bring the track into an amazing orgasm that is punctuated by rapid-paced drumming.
The artificially-spaced, almost painfully delayed beats during “The Radio Has Got No Soul†is the perfect tease before Cordova brings a driving beat home, making it memorable with the equal level of all involved. This debut EP is by far some of the most impressive work to ever come out of such a young band (as Cordova was founded only about a year ago), and without much in the way of weakness shown, there should be no doubt in any listener’s mind that the band will come out with a full-length that will match or surpass “Lie Until It Becomes The Truthâ€. “Stars and Math†may just be the key of this disc, with James’ vocals bering duplicated innumerable times being the vocal point of an already-memorable tune. Cordova has much more to them than simply being the next Weston (of which James was a member) and really show a vitality that will only benefit them in the next decade as they show the world this brilliant, brand new brand of music.
Top Tracks: Stars and Math
Rating: 7.4/10
Cordova – Lie Until It Becomes The Truth / 2005 Limekiln / 5 Tracks / http://www.cordovamusic.com / http://www.limekilnrecords.com / Reviewed 02 August 2005