Record Label: S/R
Genre: Indie
Band Link: www.myspace.com/commerce
Buy on Amazon.com

Commerce plays good, textured indie-pop with some Death Cab flair. Notable are the complex drumming and clean guitar sound. The vocals have a slightly upturned, nerdy tinge that actually helps lift their sound from sadsack mopery.

There are some unfortunate instrumentation choices, particularly the clichéd use of glockenspiel, egg shake, and sleigh bells (ugh). “A Slip of the Tongue” showcases harmonica and glockenspiel, an unpleasant pairing, and the 7-track album ends with your usual album-ending unlistenable piano ballad.

Otherwise, the majority of the album is strong with smart lyrics, proficient musicianship, and that 90s indie/emo way of making feeling bad sound good.

Bottom Line: Good, heady indie a la Death Cab, Sunny Day Real Estate.
Notable Tracks: Green Composition Books, In Your Bones
Overall Rating: