Latterman has an indie-rock feel to them that one can never challenge, but when a track like “Yo, Get Into It” begins to play, one can only think of one of the shining stars of the independent music circuit, Against Me!. There are tracks that are really obtuse and individuals cannot do anything but wonder (the formless “Dear Boys” comes to mind). Latterman shows that Deep Elm is not a static record label, and still has the Midas touch that was cemented into place in the last few years. It becomes a challenge to not dub Latterman as a band that is influenced by pop-punk, but the term “pop-punk” should not be seen as a negative.
For every time the band takes on an Alkaline Trio type of sound (Video Games and Fantasy Novels), there is an equal amount of Fugazi influence (the bass line that starts off This Project Is Stagnant). The fact that “No Matter Where We Go” barely cracks the thirty-minute mark is a testament about how bombastic the music that Latterman commits to disc is. “My Bedroom is Like For Artists” has an intense challenge to the somewhat-traditional type of music that is on “No Matter Where We Go”. This last salvo from the band is an excellent segue way to another realm of music, undoubtedly breached by their next album. The band succeeds on all levels, but their bread and butter may just be the straightforward rock tracks like “Fear And Loathing On Long Island”. The disc has tremendous replay value, and is perfect for those road trips, rolling along at 90 or 100 blasting people by. Even when the band decides to take a slower approach to their music, as in the penultimate “I Wish Branca Was Here”, one just hears the amount of work that Latterman has placed into each and every track as sound washes over listeners.
The Blink 182-esque bass line present on “My Bedroom..” is the perfect icing on a flawless cake; Latterman’s ability to take different portions of a myriad of bands and incorporate them so perfectly into their sound is a large reason why the band wins with this album. The only thing that could possibly increase the band’s worth in my eyes would be to see their live set expand on the spontaneity present on this disc; Latterman will take the world by storm and I have no doubt that tracks like “This Project Is Stagnant” will be the next “Give It All”.
Top Tracks: This Project Is Stagnant, My Bedroom is Like For Artists
Rating: 8.2/10
Latterman – No Matter Where We Go / 2005 Deep Elm / 12 Tracks / http://www.lattermanband.com / http://www.deepelm.com / Reviewed 13 July 2005