Any good indie rock fan has heard of the band known as Brandtson. Two full-lengths garnering much acclaim have brought a wide array of supporters to the Cleveland-based band. With help from Ed Rose (Get Up Kids, Appleseed Cast) they seem to be departing from the fresh-faced emo scene with a little something different, in Dial In Sounds.

"Mark It At Zero" gets things started in catchy pop-punk fashion whereas "The Rookie Year" slows things down a bit. "With Friends Like You" is a spacey anthemic soaring tune while "Some Kind Of Jet Pilot" dives into radio-friendly waters. "Cherokee Red" shows lyrics seemingly straight from a diary, while "Command Q, Command Z" has a mellow bluesy bass filled touch. "Guest List" leads to a cocky catchy pop-punk hit that will be a live fan favorite for years to come, as "Little Rounder" has an almost, dare I say, Motown emotional feel that these white boys pull off just fine.

Brandtson has done it yet again. They seem to be mellowing out in their "old age," though, where this is not the pound-it-in-your-face track after track band as before. There is a touch of the old, a lot of the new (new to the band and definitely new to the genre) where you may just have to do a double take to know for certain that it's them. But in normal Brandtson style, Dial In Sounds pushes the standard for indie rock just a little further. Dial in, call home; and tell your mom to pick this up for you today.

- Review date: 2/24/02, written by Blake Garris