Rogue Thief- The History of Things to Come

ARTIST: Rogue Thief
ALBUM: The History of Things to Come
LABEL: Self-released
REVIEWER: Matthew J.
DATE: 2-24-08

Philadelphia's Rogue Thief debuts with a four-song EP that combines a D.I.Y. approach to recording with the energy of contemporary dance punk. The tinny electronic drums of "Frontline" that open the album fool you into thinking this is going to be low-fi synthpop, but then the fuzzed out vocals and punchy power chords kick in, taking things in an entirely different direction. "Enzyme" is more of the same, big rock chords, distorted vocals, and crunching sequenced beats, then "Saturday Mourning" slows things down with cleaner, hook-driven pop. Closing things out is "Ragged," a charmingly catchy garage rock number. While this EP hasn't quite figured out if it wants to be dance music or straightforward rock music, it's a fun first teaser, and it'll be interesting to see what direction Rogue Thief takes on future efforts.

Visit www.namenooneman.com for more information about Rogue Thief.