The Henry Clay People

Myspace // "Echolocation" [mp3]

On their first record Blacklist the Kid with the Red Mustache, L.A. band The Henry Clay People charted territory reserved for bands like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. The expansive canvas to which The Henry Clay People painted their musical landscape was ambitious yet surprisingly good. They made songs larger than they were able to, often forcing them into existence. Performing live, the band pulled an energy from the struggle not to be totally drowned by the songs themselves, but on record, the band manages to float on.

On their recent EP, Working Part Time, The Henry Clay People leave the vast soundcapes of Built to Spill and Modest Mouse behind. While the title track borders on Hold Steady-like anthemic stream-of-consciousness rock, "Echolocation," however, refreshingly fills the gap between Craig Finn and Co.'s hipster fairy tales and The Dismemberment Plan's emo dancecore. This song, like the best of The Dismemberment Plan songs, straddles the line between being wound too tight and about to fall apart.