Now It's Overhead

I first heard of Now It's Overhead when I was a DJ at the Iowa State radio state, KURE. In addition to DJ'ing, I would review some of the new music coming in, I mostly did the new punk, indie/emo, and oddball stuff. (This was right near the tail end of my big "punk" phase, when I first started getting into the "indie scene" a little more, this album helped push me in that direction.) NIO's self-titled album came through my inbox, and I was a little hesitant. I didn't know what to expect from the dark illustration on the cover. But, it was my job to listen through everything, so I popped it in my player and was immediately impressed. Andy LeMaster's vocals seemed so exposed, so vulnerable; it really drew me in. When Fall Back Open was released in 2004, I was ready, and anticipating. It did not disappoint, quickly becoming one of my favorite albums of the year, with some intense songs, and some beautiful songs. If you haven't heard of these guys yet, I would urge you to check them out, especially if you're into some lush, sad, sad songs. They've got a good set of songs on their myspace page, but basically their entire catalogue is great.