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THE CHEMISTRY OF EMO ROCK

I received the coolest 5 1/4" floppy disk in existence last weekend. inside was nestled millimeters mercury's latest album, turbo. known by superfans as mmHg, this geek chic chicago foursome has evolved from a lesser-known DIY band with nifty home recordings to a better-known DIY band with a stellar production out of smart studios in wisconsin (co-owned by garbage members slash producers butch vig and steve marker).

turbo is a collection of 12 emo/pop songs tasty enough to rival a jar of jelly belly's. one of my personal favorites is track 5, entitled "rain is rain," which besides its ingenious title has a great syncopated rhythm and catchy backing vocals. another favorite is track 7, "too close to you," which features the loverly chris vlasses leading with some very "emo"tional vocals. once more, with feeling!

my conclusion is that the first listen was a good one, and I expect the second and third to be even better. the only caveat I have for listeners: ye with at best a seven-letter vocabulary may not grasp the lyrical content. still, you can bop your head to the beats while gripping your messenger bag with your right hand.