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Mad Lee Riot: Terra In Cognito

Mad Lee Riot: Terra In Cognito

Alternative Rock
Rating: 3.25/5.0

Liquorpond St. Production/Sound Pollution
www.madleeriot.com
www.myspace.com/madleeriot
Review: Craig Hartranft,  07.12.2009

Sweden's alternative rockers Mad Lee Riot swing into the summer with their first full length release, Terra In Cognito. There previous EP release, Hard Cover hit the Swedish charts at 26 in its debut in 2007, an impressive feat for a young band. Terra In Cognito is a good follow up as it expands MLR's repertoire of diverse melodic alt rock which visits power pop and punk with notes of stoner and psychedelic rock. Their fans and the curious newcomers will probably be pleased with this complete platter.

However, Terra In Cognito never really gripped me until later in the disc. Within the first six songs only the pop punk of the shorter Why Do You Howl and The Gorilla really held my interest. Others just dragged like the heavier but wholly unconvincing All The More. In this section Mad Lee Riot also covers Brittany Spears's Toxic giving it a heavier almost stoner rock feel. But honestly this means nothing to me because Spears and most anything she has done is a blight upon pop music. There ain' t nothing you can do to improve it.

Beginning with Acedia and excluding the average alt rock of Let Down Again, the second half of Terra In Cognito has the best stuff. Nine To 5, Take It Back, and You're Not So Young Anymore are inventive and bristle with an energy not found in the first half. Acedia displays some excellent bass work, and the overall feel of the song blends stoner and psychedelic rock in a positive arrangement.

For pure alternative rock, Mad Lee Riot's Terra In Cognito is an inventive, often muscular, sometimes uneven adventure, which fans will find clever and enjoyable. Recommended for fans of all things indie and alternative.

In Short

For pure alternative rock, Mad Lee Riot's Terra In Cognito is an inventive, often muscular, sometimes uneven adventure, which fans will find clever and enjoyable. Recommended for fans of all things indie and alternative.

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