After hearing the sheer quality of *Project Abner’s *live tracks on their website last year I was very much eager to see how well they fared on the forthcoming demo that’s currently being played on high volume through my stereo. A mixture of eclectic percussion, ear-pricking vocals and impressive musicianship, it was clear that PA are most definately not your average local band.

This was a band with brains, a band that _think _about song structures and dynamics rather than the high percentage of acts content with bashing out a few chords to the strains of one the drummers best mates with a voice not dissimilar to Kurt Cobain’s adolescent kid brother wrestling with a particularly troublesome dump.

No, these guys have talent in abundance, a track like 'The Fable' demonstrating their capability for cracking out marvellously compelling chord schemes and harmonies with enviable ease. That’s not to say they don’t know how to rock out as the latter half of the song shows, milking out all their Earthtone 9-isms with considerable force.

In their list of influences PA name bands as varied as *Incubus, Earthtone 9, Boy Sets Fire *and *Braid *and throughout this demo seemingly manage to blend them all into coherent and originally constructed forms. Both tracks on offer here are well over 6 minutes long but so drawn in are you that to cut the songs any shorter just seems unnecessary.

The UK is producing some exciting bands right now (Oceansize, Reuben…) and if there’s any ounce of justice in the music scene then this year should see the Abner get a piece of the action as well. Check em out!!