Crimes

What started as a demo project for Andrew Jansen turned into a full band named after the content of the songs he was writing about, Crimes. The original demos, with all parts performed by Andrew, were about a seedy action, jealousy, or crime. The songs were posted online and paired with links to Minneapolis Crime Statistic. Many seemed interested in the tunes so Luke Friedrich, Reese Hagy, and Hannah Fraser were brought on to bring the hazy jangle of Crimes to life. [David Campbell, The Local Show]

For what it’s worth, Crimes are the pure embodiment of whatever garage rock means today. While their sound is quite ambient, it’s also very close and inviting, like it’s whispering it’s message to you personally, and, really, with an invitation like that, I don’t know how you can help but sing along with Hannah and Andrew when the tempo picks up and the chorus kicks in on “Gold In Your Eyes.” The vocal harmonizing of Crimes is reminiscent of a Pixies song that Kim Deal chimes in on for backing vocals. Both have distinct surf rock qualities. However, if the Pixies are to be described for their loud, quiet, loud dynamics, then perhaps Crimes’ vocal drone is best described as quiet, quiet, less quiet. That’s not to say that Crimes can’t spark a little energy into their music. Standout track “Skyscraper” remains up tempo throughout and launches into a very danceable guitar solo a minute in (it’s even more fun to watch the in-studio they did with us!). If one of the better kept secrets of the Twin Cities music scene keeps making music as entertaining as they did on Good Hope, then hopefully Crimes can move out of the basement and onto your playlists! [Mitch Skinner, Radio K]