When I stumbled upon this band, I was in a weird state. From completely engorging myself into the world of beards, beers and punk rock I found a rough gem of an album that had that swagger and confidence of a band that has been writing and touring for years, but at the center had a punk ethos that immediately grabbed my attention.

Elk, of course, are an "indie" band. I first really saw them come together at a Lemuria show and since then have admittedly followed this band at every possible turn. Their first album, appropriately called Elk, makes an immediate splash.

With songs such as "Blonde," their endearing qualities immediately shine through. The simplicity of the music, coupled with the style of songwriting that lends itself to you singing it for hours, if not days afterwards gives this Niagara band a definite edge over many of the bands that are popping up over Southern Ontario. Their garage/indie/punk sound definitely allows the comparison to other notable bands such as Attack in Black; however, for a band so young, their ability to step aside and be fully aware of their influences allows greater access to the music they are trying to create. They are confident, fully aware, but at the same time respective of the music that has been created before them; inherently, it doesn't feel at all like they are "ripping anyone off"--they are taking their influences and mashing them together to create this simple brand of punk.

This sonic disturbance they create continues to play off in songs such as "Sometime Together (No No No)." Droning vocal melodies and surf-inspired guitar riffs present a punishing slew of sound. The simplicity, again, is what is brought to the forefront.

For a band that has been together for a relatively short amount of time, the fact that they have already self-released an LP is astonishing and their continual growth is something that will have me spinning this record and their demos for months to come.

MYSPACE