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▓█▓▓█ Artist.....[ Sports: The Band ▀████▄█▓
██▓▀ Album......[ Sports: The Band ▀▓██
▄ █▓█ █ Label......[ Self Released █ █▓█ ▄
█▒█▓█▄▀ Catalog #..[ ▀▄█▓█▒█
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▓█████▓▓█ █▓▓█████▓
▓█▀ ▀▀█▓█▒ Source.....[ CDEP ▒█▓█▀▀ ▀█▓
▓█▄ ▀▄ ██▓ Genre......[ Indie ▓██ ▄▀ ▄█▓
▓▓█▓▀ ██ Language...[ English ██ ▀▓█▓▓
▀ ▄████ Rip Date...[ 2009-05-01 ████▄ ▀
▄ ▀ ▓█▓ Store Date.[ 2009-04-00 ▓█▓ ▀ ▄
█▀▀ ▄▓█▀ Rip Tool...[ EAC ▀█▓▄ ▀▀█
▓█▄████▀ Encoder....[ LAME 3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ▀████▄█▓
▀█▓▀ Quality....[ 185 kbps AVG VBR 44.1/Joint Stereo ▀▓█▀
▄ █▓█▄▓█▓ Url........[ http://www.sportstheband.com ▓█▓▄█▓█ ▄
█▒██▓█▀ ▀█ █▀ ▀█▓██▒█
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▄▀▀██ ▓█ ▓█▄▀ ▓█▀█ ▓█ ▓█▄▀ ▓█ ▄▄ ▀▀▀█ ▓█ ██▀▀▄
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▓█▀ █▀█▓█▒ ▒█▓█▀█ ▀█▓
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█▓ 01 Warn Me 3:13 ▓█
█▓ 02 Castlots 3:49 ▓█
█▓ 03 Syntax Error 3:27 ▓█
█▓ 04 Fleetwood 3:08 ▓█
█▓ 05 Sonnets 5:15 ▓█
█▓ ----- ▓█
█▓ 18:52 ▓█
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▀█▓█▀ █ ██▀█ ██▀▀ ██ █▄ █ ██▀█ ▀██▀ ██▀▀ ██▀▀ █ ▀█▓█▀
▓█▓█ ▀ ▓█▄▀ ▓█▀ ▓█ ▓█▀█ ▓█ █ ▓█ ▓█▀ -▀▀▀█ ▀ █▓█▓
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▀▄ █▓█ ▄ ▄ █▓█ ▄▀
█▒██ ██▒█
█░█▒ A review of the debut EP from Sports: The Band is ▒█░█
█░█▒ long overdue. I got my hands on the MP3s almost ▒█░█
█░█▒ three months ago, quickly fell in love with the ▒█░█
█░█▒ bizarre mix of styles and then had to sit on it (as ▒█░█
█░█▒ the band didnÆt really want the songs floating ▒█░█
█░█▒ around the net before they knew what they wanted to ▒█░█
█░█▒ do with them)... for what seems like forever. Well, ▒█░█
█░█▒ finally the time has come and the band decided to ▒█░█
█░█▒ offer up the EP on Zunior. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ Basically, the songs are as diverse as youÆd expect ▒█░█
█░█▒ from a band made up of members of The Meligrove ▒█░█
█░█▒ Band, By Divine Right and Polmo Polpo. The band ▒█░█
█░█▒ refuses stay in the pocket as lead songwriter ▒█░█
█░█▒ Nathan Rekker is comfortable and confident enough ▒█░█
█░█▒ to absorb the diverse influences each band member ▒█░█
█░█▒ brings to the table. They jump effortlessly from ▒█░█
█░█▒ surging, swirling synths (Cast Lots) to weightless ▒█░█
█░█▒ AM pop (the appropriately titled Fleetwood that ▒█░█
█░█▒ features Robin Hatch on backing vocals), lap pop ▒█░█
█░█▒ (again, the perfectly named Syntax Error) and even ▒█░█
█░█▒ touching on more gloomy, Brit inspired sounds (Warn ▒█░█
█░█▒ Me) to give the listen some surprising depth. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ This five song EP would have easily made the ▒█░█
█░█▒ Best-of 2008 EP list I recently put up, but ▒█░█
█░█▒ thankfully it's finally seeing the light of day and ▒█░█
█░█▒ as enjoyable as the songs are, I'd be remiss if I ▒█░█
█░█▒ didn't mention how intrinsic the production - ▒█░█
█░█▒ courtesy of Peter Chapman - is to the success of ▒█░█
█░█▒ the sound. His deft touch allows the band to ▒█░█
█░█▒ experiment with sonic tones textures and combine ▒█░█
█░█▒ all of the influences and ideas into crisp packages ▒█░█
█░█▒ without restricting the creativity of the band. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ As a result, the band is free to sample from the ▒█░█
█░█▒ best elements of bygone eras and revamp them them ▒█░█
█░█▒ with a modern twist. Whether it's Flaming Lips ▒█░█
█░█▒ psychedelics, Nicks/Buckingham harmonies or the ▒█░█
█░█▒ crunch of indie rock when it still meant something, ▒█░█
█░█▒ Sports: The Band (there are like three other Sports ▒█░█
█░█▒ bands, so I think they need to include the ▒█░█
█░█▒ semicolon and qualifier) seems to hit on all the ▒█░█
█░█▒ right notes and I don't think you will find a ▒█░█
█░█▒ better $4.44 worth of music out there right now. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ http://www.sportstheband.com ▒█░█
█░█▒ http://www.myspace.com/sportstheband ▒█░█
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▄ ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ASCii By AyL!cRO 2oo5 ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ▄
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