New Music From The Airborne Toxic Event
Turning heartache into a living.
The Airborne Toxic Event was born from a tragedy as painful and depressing as their band name sounds. Before forming in 2006, front man and novelist Mikel Jollet had already experienced a lifetime's worth of sorrow. In the span of a week his mother was diagnosed with cancer, his girlfriend left him and he learned of his own debilitating Autoimmune disease. Instead of jumping into the nearest swamp of crocodiles, Jollet decided to put pain to prose and start a killer rock band.
The self-titled debut album from LA's The Airborne Toxic Event could be considered an emo album for people who hate emo. The songs jump from Springsteen power anthems to Arctic Monkey flavored slam dance rockers. Mikel Jollet seems to take the idea of "hitting rock bottom before you can get back up again" to heart. Poignant and at times funny, Jollet's lyrics never come off whiny or too self-involved. He's a great storyteller who allows a willing listener to become the song's subject.
Their latest single, "Sometime Before Midnight," plays like an audio companion to one of Charles Bukowski's many failed nights out. The song shines with the help of lush and haunting strings stolen from some film noir classic. Guitarist Steven Chen provides swirling "Edge" like guitar play, while Jollet's tortured but gentle whiskey howl sucks the listener into his little world of failed relationships and missed opportunities.
Be sure to catch them on tour this month with UK pub rockers The Fratellis
Posted by Joe Roth on Sep 10, 2008 @ 7:00 am
