Makeout Point

You're not getting the full experience until your ears are ringing. Even with markedly improved recording quality over last year's demos, Makeout Point's songs come through a wall of white noise on Night Moves. Turn it down too much and that's all you'll hear: white noise. The rewards come with enough volume to render the guitars punishing; you'll find moody melodies buried and played at double time, the whole song held together loosely by tripping drum rhythms. The first two tracks are bruisers barely removed from their punk roots, and the second two are the sort of thing critics like to describe as soundscapes. Played loud enough, the album sounds like jagged chaos but for Michelle Bach's vocals. Her singing is a stark contrast to the rest of the music, detached and soft. With a little more production value and a little less stuff going on, it won't be hard to hear how good this band is. For now, however, you'll just have to blast it.