It's unmistakable that modern-day garage rock's fires have died down, and now we're left only with those committed to their craft. San Francisco Water Cooler, while being of that ilk, are members of an even smaller margin of artists in the genre who are open to adventure. The sophomore effort preceding this EP paired bright, messy jam sessions with abstract instrumental detours. The five songs spread across this wax, however, stick to the straight and narrow of the group's newly revealed 'pop' demeanor.
Even so, San Francisco Water Cooler's most straightforward ventures are executed with ferocity a plenty. The kinetic charm is rather flexible, too, as it stretches from the road-trip rock n' roll of "Summer Sun" and "July" to the slipshod punk of "Bankshot" and erosive chords of "Vacancy Sender". The contrast between these motifs is pronounced, yet their youthful temperament remains at the root. While vigor is a game many contemporaries strive to play, SFWC are one of the few acts to weave imaginative melodies with their own candor.
The brash, noisy, and incomprehensible rarely seem to meet the tender and catchy on the same record, though SFWC realize that diversity is the hint of magic that augments the talent of a band. Sprawling instrumentals like the 6-minute "August Receipt" are nonexistent. Instead, the band values brevity, as they should when only given seven inches' worth of time. Guitars hiss and solo above anxious drums as they equal-handedly churn pop gems and rebellious onslaughts.
[San Francisco Water Cooler Myspace]
[Buy the San Francisco Water Cooler 7" from Sun Sneeze Records]
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