Olympia - Emergencies

Upon my first initial listening to Olympia's "Emergencies" cd, I didn't want to like them. It's edgy without being "too" edgy, polished without sounding overtly so, and melodic as all get out. Having toured with the likes of As Cities Burn as well as making The Alternative Press "100 Bands To Know in 2007" list, it's hard to deny that Olympia isn't becoming a band to be reckoned with.

Olympia, hailing from underground music mecca Washington, DC, and comprised of former members of Fairweather and Brand New Disaster, have brought an offering to the table that is far less predictable "scene" rock, and much more on the side of being an eclectic mix of straight up rock, punk, and indie, resulting in 11 tracks that, while they might not keep you guessing at every turn, is far from the norm in what has become a mostly stagnant scene.

Strongest on this album are songs like "This Ship Ain't Gonna Sink Itself", title track "Emergencies", and "M-80", although the latter is probably the most glaring example of any shred of "typical" as it relates to the punk side of the album.

In all, "Emergencies" probably won't blow your doors off as a "best of the year" candidate. What it will do is give you a bit of faith in the ability of a band to make an album without predictably falling into any one category, without copping off every other band out there.