Operation Makeout - First Base

  by Mark Rowland

published: 21 / 1 / 2002

Label: Mint
Format: CD

intro

First release of the newest signings to Mint Records has "a similar sound to feisty American girl group Sleater Kinney" and also to the "surf influenced punk pop" of early Placedo.

Featuring former d.b.s. frontman Jesse Gander, this is the first E.P. of Operation Makeout, the newest signings of Mint Records. The Makeout have a similar sound to feisty American girl group Sleater Kinney. This is not to say that Operation Makeout are carbon copies of the Olympia, WA band. The Makeout have a style that's just as firmly embedded in the punk scene in their home town of Vancouver as in the sound of Sleater Kinney. This is surf influenced punk pop that is also a bit like early Placebo, though actually fronted by a woman, and not just by someone that looks like one. Gander's vocals contrasts vocalist/guitarist Katie well, with her tuneful wail and his Henry Rollins-esque gutteral yells, which are especially prominent on 'Neon Eyes' and 'Close Encounters'. The guitars have a nice clean surf edge, and are backed by a powerful rhythm section. This may not be ground breaking, but it sure is good.

Track Listing:-