Having broken up in late 2000, members of the Wheeling rock outfit went on to play in the likes of The Minus Tide and Mr. Fancy Pants. In their short-lived existence, HTTM had (according to the band's bio) "perfected the big-guitar emo-rock sound that earlier Wheeling bands had reached toward, drawing on the work of modern indie-rock bands such as Elliott and Piebald and rock favorties such as Journey to create a sound that mixed the 'classic' sounds of 80s rock giants with the fresh modern rock heroes of the emo genre."
Artist: Horns to the Matador
HTTM does in fact combine the exuberant emo energy of Elliott with the discordant side of early Piebald. The band also combined with the technical, stop-and-go preciseness of Don Caballero, which is present in The Minus Tide sci-fi metal style. While Sean Decker's reverb-heavy vocals reminiscent of a poppier My Morning Jacket is at the front of the band's sound, it is Nate Musser's creativity and skill on bass and Dave Klug's drumming that punch the band forward in each song. In fact, it was Musser's departure from the band to attend Berklee College of Music that attributed to HTTM breaking up, but not before recording this 7-song EP in 2000. And though the members went on to create great music with other projects, We Own This Town, Johnny! remains one of my favorite albums from a West Virginia band.
Album: We Own this Town, Johnny!
Year: 2000
For Fans Of: Elliott, Piebald, Don Caballero
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