The Four Hundres

One of the strengths of Bloomington's local music scene is the sheer depth of styles represented. Indie rock often consists of two-chord punk or blind discipleship to the Beatles or Weezer or both. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but variety is the spice of life, and you are sure to find it here.\nAnd now there is a new entry in the local indie stakes, The Four Hundred. The Four Hundred EP was released on the Astoria, Queens, New York-based label Anechoic Recordings but was recorded right here in the friendly environs of Monroe County at Farm Fresh Studios, and in one day no less. The speed with which these five songs were laid down is all the more impressive when you hear the record. The songs a) have layers, b) sound different from one another and c) manage to be catchy without sounding too precious. That is nothing to sneeze at. It is always nice to be able to go back to a record and pick something new out of the mix. This is not a Yes album, but there is enough going on sonically to keep you coming back.\nTake the third track, "Faithless Song." The tune opens with an atmospheric keyboard intro before slowly building over its six and a half minutes into a full-on pop-rock stormer that eventually comes back down to Earth over more keyboards and spare guitar picking. Followed by the bouncy, piano-driven "Mary and the Wheel," this stuff is really prime pop.\nEnthusiasm aside, The Four Hundred still has room to grow, but most of the weaknesses of this release can be sorted out with experience and more time in the studio. Let's hope we hear more from them soon.