Local Rotation

DemigodsPolyphonic Demigods

Saccharine art rock makes up the Demigods’ latest.

Related Content

• In Prog We Trust: Five Progressive Rock Bands You Hate, But Shouldn't
  February 27, 2012
• Scale the Summit
  January 26, 2012
• The 10 Greatest Rock Bassists of All Time
  November 15, 2011
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs Rush...Again
  December 7, 2011
• Readers Poll: The Most Underrated Rock Albums Of The '90s
  April 17, 2012

More About

• Susan Conte
• Rush (Musical Group)
• Dream Theater
• Tom Potthast
• Religion

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Music Newsletter: Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

On Maudlin Street, where power rock meets romantic longing, the Demigods reign. On its recent self-release Polyphonic, the band fusses over obsessive, nearly unhealthy love. "You, you are the one for me / You're everything I want, you and me / We make a perfect pair / Ooohh, spank me there / Do you want to?" sings Susan Conte on the opening track, "Kink." Her voice seems to tug at the lyrics the way a good Hallmark card pulls on the heart strings.

Matching subject with sound, this quartet tries to cast an intoxicating spell the same way love does. But the charm, more often than not, doesn't quite work.

Solidly crafted, the Demigods' songs either slink with a wicked whine, suggesting a heavy-rock influence in the vein of Rush or Dream Theater, or they reveal crisp and clear pop-rock aspirations. "Sublime" (another love song) and "Alleged Heroes" are adequate, inoffensive and radio-friendly. Laurance Baker's jangling percussion adds well-proportioned structure to both, while Tom Potthast's bass and Steve Strohmeyer's guitar are played in sync, creating smooth transitions. The strength of the band lies in its technical ability.

But the album suffers from serious flaws, mainly an unvarying mid-tempo beat and excessive echo effects on the vocals, which verge on cheesiness. Most annoying is the band's fondness for unnecessary repetition. On "Tecaba Train," Conte sings each line twice, not for any apparent emphasis. In "Alluring Allusive Dream," the song title is the chorus, hardly a compelling one. In all, the lyrics are generally shallow, much like the romantic fixations Conte recounts in each song.

Conte's voice is distinctive in that it's not sweet and fluffy like those of so many other female singers today. Yet her enunciation seems stilted, and she possesses a bit of a whine that makes her sound like the female counterpart to Rush's Geddy Lee.

Everybody can relate to the subjects of lust and love, but not everybody will connect to these songs. Ultimately the nine songs on this album don't inspire the listener. The Demigods' music appeals to a small, enthusiastic group. The rest of us just shrug and shake our heads, the same way we do when we wonder what a love-struck person sees in a loser.