Avoidance Theory "Promise to the Refrigerator"

I like this record. It's friendly. It's affable. It's. It's warm and fuzzy. It's made by people who know how to take care of a yard. It's made by people who don't know that you shouldn't play in an abandonded refrigerator. They're also folk who are now releasing their debut, and it's a pretty nice little debut as well. Sure, it's a bit brief--six songs, two of which are instrumental--but still, they're trying.

I read something that described them as kinda like East River Pipe, and though that's not a particularly true statement for most of Promise to the Refrigerator, it is a fitting comparison. I don't really see the Elliott Smith comparisons though, unless you want to say that they also play an acoustic guitar. Their music's much more interesting than his, simply because they're never really as minimalist as he was, and they're much more atmospheric than he ever was. (Goodness, is it appropriate to refer to him in the past tense now?) On "Red and Whites" and "View from 300 Million B.C.," they do appear to owe more than a passing debt to Radiohead, too. Thankfully, they pull it off.

The songs on Promise to the Refrigerator are delicate, sensitive, and, unlike many other acts doing the same thing, are interesting. Yeah, that's right, interesting. Unlike the many others bands who apply the same kind of postmodern-rock formula to their music, I actually wanna hear the songs again. And again! How often is that, especially for a particularly bland, dry, boring musical style? It's been a while since I've heard a Britpop-influenced band that's made me want to listen to their record instead of reaching for A Different Class or OK Computer, but that's certainly happened here.

Over the course of dozens of listens, I've only found one tiny little flaw with Promise to the Refrigerator. Avoidance Theory avoid being too "aggressive" with their music, except on the "Bells Revenge" instrumental passage. It's kind of a shame, too, because I'd like to hear something a little more upbeat from these two. Still, I'm not complaining too much; Promise to the Refrigerator is a promising debut, and I'm certainly gonna look forward to hearing what they do next.

--Joseph Kyle