Canyon Empty Rooms Gern Blandsten Records 2002 CAT# GERN064Well, it's not completely local, actually, it's not really local at all. Canyon is DC band with local connections. After KC's Boys Life disbanded, Brandon Butler left to hang out in DC. He did Farewell Bend, that didn't last long and members formed this band. By this album, Butler brought in his former band mate, Joe Winkle, to play along. So, half KC, half DC, but ultimately, formed in the Nation's Capitol.
It doesn't sound like either the KC or DC branded post-hardcore. Its the inevitable outcome of an aging hipster, I mean, how long can you listen to punk before it all starts to sound the same? Sooner or later Neil Young makes far more sense than Iggy Pop.
Another key aspect to the sound of this band is the time in which the group formed. The first Canyon LP came out in 2001 and Empty Rooms was the following year. The indie rock scene was a bit obsessed with the likes of Low, Bedhead, Karate and other bands that were being dubbed slo-core. It made sense for the for these guys to slow it down--slow was the new loud.
What Canyon did perfectly on this album was dig deeper than Codeine's Frigid Stars. They took cues from lo-fi pioneers like Smog and added country music to their blend, kept the space rock in check, and went Crazy Horse on it. There are moments on the album that are perfect and things blend effortlessly. However, there are just as many spots that sound forced, especially true when the dig into the country side (I blame the DC guys, they don't know about that shit).
1st Song, Sleepwalker. Near perfect.
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