Beaten Awake

You Should Know


With a name like Beaten Awake, you would expect the Kent,Ohio band to fit in nicely amongst the ranks of shitty Screamo/Hardcore bands. Fortunately, their folk-tinged brand of indie-rock doesn't live down to those expectations. The band uniquely features two primary songwriters and vocalists by the name of Joel McAdams and Jon Finley. I wouldn't quite say that McAdams is a dead-ringer for Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh fame, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were somehow related. While McAdams' songs boldly exhibit the lo-fi energy of bands like Pavement and the aforementioned Dinosaur Jr., Finley's songs are decidedly country-tinged and invoke visions of Jack Daniels shots and smoke-filled Southern dive bars. The band's debut album Let's Get Simplified was released last year on Audio Eagle Records, a wonderful little label which is owned and run by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. Carney also lent his production expertise on Let's Get Simplified. While the album is solid from start to finish, "Ghost Bought A Bicycle"and "Browns Town" are highlights that represent the two songwriters' differing and distinct styles. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Beaten Awake - Browns Town
MP3: Beaten Awake - Ghost Bought A Bicycle

Tags: Beaten Awake, Let's Get Simplified