Blue Sky Mile

Blue Sky Mile is a very emo name. It could've been picked out of a hat during the hey day of bands like Jawbreaker, Modest Mouse, and Sunny Day Real Estate.

But unlike their namesake, Blue Sky Mile digs more at traditional indie rock, rather than continue on the trite screaming emo trend that is currently taking over suburban malls across America.

The Seattle quintet's self-titled debut is seven tracks of solid rock. From the occasionally mathy "Universal City" to the love letter-themed "My Fall," the EP shows the promise and potential of a band that's ready to leave a mark in indie scene.

The fact that Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla produced some of these songs doesn't hurt their street cred, though I doubt that is the crux of how good this EP is.

The only the downfall of Blue Sky Mile is that by the time you reach the last song, you can predict the structure of their songwriting. Hopefully their upcoming full-length on Initial will be more diverse. Oh well, at least there wasn't any screaming.