Decider - MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL (original) (raw)

Reviews

Decider Thoughts & Prayers cassette

Not to be confused with the other active New York City-based DECIDER (a crossover thrash band) as I almost did when looking up this release—this DECIDER plays mid-tempo indie rock. Fortunately, I received the cassette, as I cannot find anything about this band online. Unfortunately, I received the cassette. While the opening track, or the fact the band does an incredibly castrated-sounding STOOGES cover, may trick some people into thinking that this is a garage-esque punk band, a vast majority of the songs on this cassette range from alt-rock revival to artsy, sing-songy, early ’00s-style indie rock to acoustic singer-songwriter fluff. Aside from the aforementioned, I can’t imagine anything on this cassette being on any sort of punk music enthusiast’s radar. This feels like a testament to just how few places there are remaining that will review cassettes as a viable music medium. This has absolutely no place being reviewed in Maximum Rocknroll.

Decider Ramshead ’79 LP

Hard to put a finger on this one, which should be a strong vote in the “pro” column for even the most casual listener. Oakland’s DECIDER wants to be a heavy ’70s rock band, but I fear they’ve listened to too many post-punk records to let themselves pull it off. Make no mistake—they would be a flawless heavy ’70s rock band, but they’re an even better post-indie band with heavy ’70s and second-wave UK art-punk under/overtones. So I’m glad they won’t let themselves not be weird, and “Unintentional Evaluation” should be the soundtrack for your summer adventure.