By Sarah Stryk
It’s hard to find an album that can both help you wake up in the morning and put you to sleep at night. With its heavy and fast beats and melodic and passionate lyrics, Small Brown Bike’s The River Bed is capable of both.
Small Brown Bike’s third full-length album is an impressive step for the Michigan-based band. The lyrics are intelligent and the music aggressive, but the album manages to maintain the passionate undertones for which post-hardcore emo is so popular.
Lead singer Ben Reed’s vocals have truly improved since even their last release less than one year ago, a split with The Casket Lottery, which was released in June 2002. But the punk edge in his voice hasn’t been lost. You still hear an occasional crackle which reminds you of the rawness of albums past.
The River Bed is simply an excellent record. Whether your tastes lean towards emo, indie, hardcore or any punk genre, you’ll find something enjoyable in this album.