Sixty Stories – Anthem Red
(Smallman)

This is the first full-length record from Winnipeg’s Sixty Stories, and it picks up right where their split release with Painted Thin left off. It’s another dose of youthful indie pop-rock with candy coated female vocals, at times reminiscent of The Salteens or The Anniversary, but mixed with the some of the sappiness of The Get Up Kids as well.

They’ve changed bass players but there’s very little noticeable difference in the music. Although they still don’t have a full time keyboard player, they’ve continued to add some catchy synthesizer parts in many of the songs. It’s hard to pinpoint what makes the music so appealing, aside from the obvious sugary pop hooks. Perhaps it is the honest, heartfelt lyrics and the personal feel of the songs. Although the songs do come across as being slightly immature at times, they are also easy for just about anyone to relate to. Anthem Red does indeed have its share of youth anthems on it; after all, who wouldn’t want to sing along with a song that chants, “I’m gonna quit my job, I’m gonna quit it tomorrow”?

With this record, Sixty Stories have proven that they can knock off 12 solid songs (granted, one of them is only 10 seconds long) and the album’s only weakness is a pair of slower tracks on the album that just drag on a little too long. This is definitely something that Vagrant Records fans could get into, although it doesn’t sound as overproduced or clichéd as some of the bands on Vagrant’s roster. If you haven’t already heard them, this is one band that is definitely worth checking out. –- Sean