Legendary Wings
Making Paper Roses
Dirtnap (2012)
Dirtnap Records picked up Kalamazoo, MI’s Legendary Wings based on an unsolicited demo. Seeing that the label gave them a blind shot, why not try it myself? Well, that and the onesheet calls them “Scared of Chaka if they were from Minneapolis.” It’s hard for that not to grab my attention.Their debut, Making Paper Roses starts out strong with “Nachos,” a keeper and attention grabber that fits the label’s description pretty perfectly, tying in influences from Denton, TX bands and a lot of Midwestern punk. There’s a Mark Ryan influence that pushes the guitars throughout, with pop-punky “Too Far” being a good example, as guitarist/vocalist Scott Terrian plays fast but very melody-based. The song culminates with a big chorus, loud and fast guitar work, and cymbal-heavy drums. “I’m Think I’m Dumb” is another favorite. As the record progresses, it tends to stray from the Midwest punk influence a bit, with a jangly Denton garage-punk and classic pop-punk such as the Ramones taking over as the primary influences. The record has a clangy, cymbal-heavy garage over the top of the poppy core, or just think of it as sloppy pop-punk with something of a dancing beat.Where it falters is mostly in … Read more
