Wednesday, April 1, 2009

FEATURE - if 'n

With a seemingly innate ability for channeling the glory days of alternative rock,
if 'n, hailing from South Jersey, has managed to shift the trajectory of the glossy and one-dimensional backdrop of today's music.

Dripping with a certain drawl, if 'n furtively blends a bit of blues into both lyrics and instrumentation. "Confused Muse" is laggard and sonorous, incorporating just the right amount of letdown into the story, while "Rerun," inheriting a more implicit bleakness, name-checks actor John Astin - a bizarre yet befitting acknowledgment.

In clearing away the cobwebs of complication, the music of if 'n remains simple and utterly accessible - two attributes very much alive in the bouncy, guitar driven "Shake."

Undoubtedly, in straying from the precise and the pretentious, if ‘n has given fans a reason to embrace a homegrown, no-frills approach to making quality music.

IF'N's Myspace