this one

rough, complex and
promising

All About Eve (Bulimia Productions)
Stick People

By Kory Wilcoxson

Here's more proof (as if it's needed) that strong music is coming out of the Louisville area: Stick People rocks with a ragged intensity that leaves you sweating.

There's an interesting contrast here between the music, especially the searing guitars of Bryan Smith and Scott Sweeney, and the singing of Jeff Sears.

Sears' voice still seems caught on the hook of innocence and at times his tones would seem more at home in a band without all that edge.

But Sears knows how to stoke the fire and he turns from Charlie Brown to Charlie Manson with greased quickness and a pulsating, rumbling growl.

Such transformations on All About Eve add to its many layers, each of which provides a high level of enjoyment. Songs like "Dad" and "Pipedream" are hardly mainstream and not readily accessible, but daring to examine their complexity yields rewards. Stick People are by no means thin on potential.