A Message Through Your Teeth

Okay, say Less Than Jake and a non-political Boy Sets Fire had an affair. One bought the other roses and — as one thing often leads to another — they somehow gave birth to a moody, emo offspring. That kid would be the Killing Moon. As awkward as that visual might appear, this release sounds somewhat the same way. A Message Through Your Teeth is the band's first release for Fearless, a little appetizer of an EP before their full-length drops sometime later in the year. They're not really a ska band, even though they boast a somewhat out of place baritone sax and trombone, as their music falls much closer to smooth, angst-filled rock with slight screamo tendencies. The music is competent enough, and singer Ryan Hannan's voice is noticeably strong as he's belting out dark, romantic lyrics. At times, however, it seems like the brass was added just to make the band stand out from its peers, instead of actually adding much to the songs. This dark rock meets ska isn't a completely horrible concept; the Killing Moon just needs to learn how to implement their instruments more cohesively, instead of allowing the brass section to often sound like it's suffocating under the guitars, desperately trying to come up for air. Hopefully this will happen by the time their full-length rolls around.