Review / 200 Words Or Less
The Reed Sea
No Help

Independent (2009) Michael

The Reed Sea – No Help cover artwork
The Reed Sea – No Help — Independent, 2009

Hailing from Oregon, this four-piece outfit has brought forth a four-song EP titled No Help. The title of the EP is fitting as the band has recorded and packaged the entire release themselves. Granted, it's limited to screen printed cardboard sleeves, but that's still cool. I appreciate the DIY effort.

"Holy Pigs" is the lead song and immediately you're greeted with a relaxed melodic punk sound mixed with toned down indie rock. I got a vibe of The Get Up Kids meets Radiohead meets Built to Spill. "King" is a bit more upbeat, the drums help the case there. The sound is still rooted in playful post-punk, indie rock style. "Other" and "Swan of Geese" stick to a similar path of style, which is probably the downfall I find most about the songs. They all kind of sound the same. I think a bit more experimentation and stylistic shifts - like the end of "Swan of Geese" - could help create more adventurous and identifiable characteristics in the group's music.

If any of this excites you, then you should probably head to the band's website and download this EP. It is free, which is pretty stellar of them to do.

6.5 / 10Michael • June 30, 2009

The Reed Sea – No Help cover artwork
The Reed Sea – No Help — Independent, 2009

Recently-posted album reviews

Eater

The Lost 1978 Sessions
Cleopatra (2025)

Hopefully everyone reading this already knows that Eater was one of the early British punk bands. Forming in North London in 1976, Eater was one of the youngest bands in the burgeoning UK punk scene, with the members being aged 14-17 at the band’s inception. Eater issued a series of singles and one album for The Label between 1977-1978 before … Read more

Spark of Life

Plagued by the Human Condition
New Age Records (2025)

Spark Of Life hails from LA and has been around since the early 2000s. Their debut album dropped in 2003, but it took almost two decades to drop their newest album titled Plagued by the Human Condition. This album was released through New Age Records out of southern California, and it is worth checking out. If you’re familiar with New … Read more

The Dwarves

Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows
GREEDY (2025)

Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows is a live studio recording from 1989, released on picture disc earlier this year on limited vinyl for Record Store Day. Given that it came shortly before the release of Blood, Guts & Pussy, it's no surprise that it's heavy on songs from that record (10 of 14, if I've counted correctly). It's more primal than … Read more