Band names, and titles in general, that employ exclamation points always strike me as suspect.
So an e-mail from a group called The Ready Aim Fire! requesting that I give their music a listen made me a little uneasy.
Perhaps it's because I harbor a justifiable dislike and occasional hatred of Panic! At The Disco. More likely, my discomfort stems from being a self-proclaimed grammar lover, wary of undue and overdone excitement. Either way, that punctuation put a proverbial bee in my bonnet.
Masochism probability won out, and I took a MySpace.com trip to give the band a listen. Expecting to hear about seven seconds of dissonance before clicking the "back" button with a vengeance, I found myself reading the whole sidebar of band info.
It turns out The Ready Aim Fire! dig some respectable acts, including Tegan and Sara, Metric and The Mountain Goats.
By the end of the first song, I thought, "I don't hate it — maybe I like it?"
Obviously more investigation was necessary, and I called up Dave Trautz, the lead vocalist.
Based in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, Calif., The Ready Aim Fire! began as Trautz's one-man laptop project, first called Fire.
For performance purposes, two additional members joined, including Trautz's older brother and decidedly favorite band member, Ryan.
"He's sort of my right hand," Trautz said.
After some Spinal Tap-style lineup changes, sans mysterious deaths, The Ready Aim Fire! evolved into a five-piece band.
"It's basically the same band as Fire, just a fully-realized version," Trautz said
Their debut LP "Strong Enough" was released in June and is available on iTunes, Amazon, Napster and Rhapsody. Fans can also order physical copies on the band's MySpace (www.myspace.com/thereadyaimfire).
Sonically, listeners draw comparisons to Minus The Bear's older material and The Postal Service. It's electronic pop that's effervescent without being too sweet, but undoubtedly fresh and fun.
Trautz said he has been on a three- or four-month kick religiously listening to Imaginary Baseball League. He thought The Mountain Goats' "Heretic Pride" was perfect.
While we spoke on the phone, he paused to ask Ryan what other music they have been enjoying lately. Ryan answered: The Good Life's "Help Wanted Nights." Trautz said the album forced him to prefer The Good Life to Cursive, which, as a diehard Cursive fan, was no simple feat.
"I guess we don't really listen to too much electronic stuff, it's just something that comes out when we're writing songs," he said.
[Our music] is super melodic, poppy stuff, and you won't be bored!"
Reach the reporter at: rbartkow@asu.edu.
