the promise ring: very emergency

I expected unexpected starts and stops, pretty interludes and unintelligible vocals. When I first popped open Very Emergency, I was sorely disappointed, having mistakenly associated the Promise Ring with emo-core. How could it not be? The publicity photo showed three guys with short hair and thick-rimmed glasses and one with a shaved head. I was positive it would be another half-baked version of Fugazi, which, after all, is not the worst thing a band could be.

Instead, I was overwhelmed by a bevy of mid-tempo, major-key, upbeat, plain Jane pop songs. It sounded almost boring. Until, while brushing the cat hair out of my carpet, the last song, "All of My Everythings," washed over me.

I took another listen. "Dance record from before I was born on the stereo/ playing last rites for my late nights," Davey von Bohlen intones. His even, deadpan voice dominates Very Emergency. The song is an absolute gem of a ballad, highlighting the band's minimalist pop aesthetic: songs about girls and everyday life by plain-spoken people. While '60s Motown epitomized this aesthetic, nowadays the formula is less an art than a science, with memorable songwriting and performance talent taking a backseat to studio-created "ideal" performances. The Promise Ring, however, delivers a "play-it-anywhere" album, with two solid guitars, a bass, and a real drummer on every song, proving that a competent, feel-good album need not include an orchestra of fake instruments.

At its best, Very Emergency suggests the goodness of Bob Mould's second band, Sugar. If nothing else, I would like to have a couple beers with a pretty girl and watch the Promise Ring play. Unfortunately, if I were in a less generous mood, I might say that they've been overly thrilled by their recent exposure—MTV, Spin, and Teen People have all come calling. Maybe, if I were in a really bad way, I'd even posit that the Promise Ring have made themselves into an Everclear sound-alike, disposable in the worst possible way. The guitars are pretty in their lightly-soiled distortion, and von Bohlen's voice is cute, but nothing ever really manages to captivate.

Very Emergency is best when you're washing the dishes, folding the laundry, or cleaning up after shaggy pets. It's background music, and not consistent muzak at that. Until my next elevator ride, no more for me, thanks. (Jade Tree)

—Carl Ehrhardt

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