Blasted Canyons - 2nd Place EP (Castle Face, 2012)

Blasted Canyons

2nd Place EP

Castle Face

2012

Rating: 6 down comforters out of 10

I guess you'd call Blasted Canyons synth-punk or something like that.  You'd probably also call them Joy Division fans, surely a damn near useless description at this point for any band, but still...fitting.  There are probably other bands out there that do it better, but this is still pretty enjoyable - especially the first half of the EP, and super especially the song "Liquid Fiend", which is the closest they come to a straight-forward classic punk sound.  "Holy Geometry" is incredibly catchy as well.  The second half is just decent, nothing to get your panties in a bunch (or unbunch them in the event they were already bunched).  Worth the price of admission though for the two songs I mentioned, two great songs out of six is pretty damn okay these days. 

Blasted Canyons - Blasted Canyons (Castle Face, 2011)

Blasted Canyons

Blasted Canyons

Castle Face

2011

Rating: 7 ice cream men out of 10

Synth punk - most of it is shiny music featuring members wearing vinyl clothing and aggressive make-up, and then there's Blasted Canyons.  This is dirty, lo-fi synth punk, an band you'd expect to hear play in your friends basement assuming they could find enough outlets for their keyboards and other instruments.  It's pretty fuzzed out and sloppy, but damn enjoyable.  I read somewhere else a comparison to Lost Sounds, one of Jay Reatards many bands, and that seems like a fair mention.  Blasted Canyons are a little poppier and/or light-hearted than Lost Sounds, but they have basically the same feel.  Apparently this group started as a joke and that is reflected in some of the song titles - "I Know A Dude", "Three Synths One Cup", "Lasers vs. Lizards", and more - but this isn't novelty rock or comedy rock or any of that.  It's just a distorted, synthy good time.