Commodor Driving out of Focus

These Swiss indie rockers might be a few years late for the party: Hints of At the Drive-In pepper Commodor's debut, Driving out of Focus, but throw into the equation a vintage synthesizer or two, and a unique entity forms. When the clashing guitars get a bit too much for the ears of the uninitiated, this band lets up a little, Juno-infused (the Roland synthesizer, not the film) riffs stepping into the fray.

Commodor probably should have made their impact sometime from 1999 to 2003, but there's no shame in a quality band being recognized for a sound that may have peaked a few years prior. This vein of indie rock and post-hardcore, made relatively popular by groups like At the Drive-In and Cursive, is well-executed by these Swiss musicians, and may spell a European resurgence of the genre – alternately, it may simply mean these three from Geneva enjoy music of such a sort and are trying to produce something they, themselves, will enjoy. It remains, though, that tracks like Drifting Figures sound like they might have been released by Saddle Creek Records in 2000.

Regardless of their intention, Commodor, with Driving out of Focus, have crafted a release of some quality. Still, like most artists of any era, musical problems crop up. For Commodor, it's the off-kilter tonality of their sung-spoken vocals; while their screaming is easy to digest, vocals of other sorts fall a bit to the side of the non-palatable – it's certainly not as non-palatable as, say, paint or glass, but more in the range of a carefully cooked meal by a well-meaning but incompetent grandparent.

All told, though, Driving out of Focus is a promising debut from Geneva, a city known more for a historical contribution than a stellar music scene – and hopefully that won't change anytime soon, though I wouldn't mind a rise in the musical prominence of the area. This trio has brought interesting, engaging music from the city, and for all its faults, it's worth at least one attentive listen.