A perfect blend of punk rock and pop, Bloomington trio Constant Velocity combine equal parts Violent Femmes and Minutemen to craft four irresistibly winning and rambunctious songs on their self-titled EP. “Dewy Biker,” especially, is something special, sort of a punk rock lullaby, as A. Smith’s gravely, yet slightly high-pitched vocals are complemented perfectly by C. Weber’s endearing keyboards. (www.constantvelocity.net)
– Dean Ramos,
Illinois Entertainer.
June 06
..........................................................................................................................The Daily Herald, Chicago
Nervously poppy songs makes Constant Velocity's debut endearing
Posted Friday, August 17, 2007
Constant Velocity, from downstate Bloomington, offer up an endearingly askew debut of indie rock. The recording, the handmade cardboard sleeve, even Alex Smith's vocals seem held together by tenuous strands of tape. Those ragged edges make Constant Velocity's craft more compelling.
The trio's nervously poppy songs bring to mind college rock favorites from The Decemberists to the Violent Femmes. The guitars mostly stick with a jangly, fuzzy indie/classic rock sort of tone, although opener "Consolation" flirts with some surprising distortion. While low-key tunes like "The Smoker" and "Fault" slink along on brittle vocal melodies, more uptempo tracks like "3sa Crowd" and "The Cloud" flit about with art-punk energy. With its copious guitar slinging and Smith's shakily wide-eyed singing, "Genius" plays like a particularly gloomy slab of jam rock.
Constant Velocity's restless approach remains infectious almost despite its own precious brittleness. One hopes this debut's charming, less-than-polished veneer won't be too smoothed over as the band gains experience.
- Jeff Pizek
Sounds Like
With a name ripped from the headlines of Car and Driver, Constant Velocity
belies a musical style that is quirky yet accessible. With four songs the Bloomington, Ill., trio shows the ability to intertwine clever lyrics with eclectic instrumentation. "Across the Sea" comes across as a sea shanty replete with accordion, and listening to it one can almost smell the kelp. "Lucky Double Nines" begins with a riff on a toy piano and ends with the album's most ferocious guitar solo. No song makes it past three minutes and 30 seconds--that means that the hooks come fast. The band will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Violent Femmes for their catchy oddball arrangements
and a lead singer who makes up for his undersized voice by singing at the top of his lungs. But make no mistake, Constant Velocity has something to offer that is all their own.
-Evan Clossin
UR Chicago
Dec / Jan 06
Similar to the baroque stylings of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Decemberists, Constant Velocity is a charming three-piece that given a larger recording budget might be able to do their heroes justice. Here's hoping somebody does just that.
-Punk Planet
Sept/Oct 05.............................................................Indie rock group Constant Velocity are constantly challenging themselves with new ingenious ways to write pop songs. Partaking a bit of punk, art rock, and of course a little pop, Constant Velocity succeeds in defining themselves as a band you can’t really define. Good stuff.
J-sin
Smother Magazine
Jan 07.................................................................CONSTANT VELOCITY: The new generation takes punk and moves it along. Since history doesn’t go back as far as it used to, think Violent Femmes coming out of a suburban basement today and going for the gold in a slightly skewed, slightly off beat way, still trying to hit the bulls eye, just doing it on their own terms. Energetic and engaging, this crew knows what the heartland is about and are honest in their focus as heartland rockers looking to rock out as well as rock their way out. MidwestRecord.com Jan 07........................................................Rough, raw, weird, and ragged describes Constant Velocity very well. They will draw obvious comparisons to Violent Femmes, but CV are more chromatic and modern indie to stand too long in the Femmes’ shadow. The band have an eclectic writing style that mixes grooves and key centers to great effect on their self-titled CD. If they remain this creative, they should be heard from again.
– Mike O’Cull
Illinois Entertainer
Apr/07........................................................................................Constant Velocity are a punk rock band. Don't let the name fool you; when I first heard it, I thought that I was in for listening to a band doomed to acquire the dreaded "emo" label. Constant Velocity play a type of punk rock often overlooked and obscured by the more traditional definition of the term. They play a pop driven punk with classic rock sensibilities, often channeling bands like Television or the Minutemen. They don't sound like they know it yet, or the fact that the rest of the world hasn't heard of them, but this young band from Bloomington, Illinois rocks harder than a lot of bands attempting this sound with little success.
The debut, self-titled album from Constant Velocity was obviously recorded on a budget. In all honesty, they don't sound like they care and their ambition drives the tracks on this record, like the bluesy "The Smoker". It takes a bit to get used to Alex Smith's vocals, he's one of those types of vocalists that can't really sing, but his voice is perfect for the off-kilter delivery from the rest of the musicians.
Speaking of music, I found one of my favorite tracks to be "3sa Crowd", thanks to the simple 2 minute introduction, which finds the bass and guitar competing. The high-hats give the impression that at any moment the song will erupt into a fast and aggressive number, but instead the song takes us into a bouncy and infectious pop tune about a young girl's crush on a youth minister. The song titled "The Cloud" is one of the only songs that comes close to fitting the traditional punk rock label, but its with Velocity's ability to write infectious breakdowns to underscore the aggression, that their sound remains truly fresh and exciting.
It's hard to choose from such a great record a favorite, but I would have to say "Genius" is just that. Clocking in at an epic 6 min and 37 seconds, it slowly meanders in a Door's like groove and then totally lets loose in a guitar effects laden breakdown worthy of comparison to the classic rock of years past. Then, after another breakdown, the song rips into an upbeat punk rock tune only to slow down again into a keyboard part carefully placed to add to the quirky sensibilities of this eclectic outfit.
More people should know about this band. It's rather unfortunate that the tour section of their website lists only one show in the near future, which is a shame. Give these guys a bigger budget, unleash them on the road, and the possibilities are endless.
-Jose Vela
DoA
07/31/07
Right on some great music going on here. Listened to all the songs and dig all of them look forward to hearing more. Sorry it took so long to check it out been tough playing catch up. Keep in touch.
haha thanx for the amusement of the day, that was cute. i like the music too, definately not trendy at all, simple sweet and to the point, id gladly gaze upon your music anytime :) and id also would love to see you play, but me is in VA :(
Hey Alice, I likes the new album. Now punch Weber in the nuts or me. That hillbilly shouldn't - nay, CAN'T - be allowed to breed. Good to see you last week. Let me know when you guys are gonna be up this way again. I'll try to make it out.
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