Philadelphia's
Ink & Dagger released multiple albums on Initial Records, a Louisville-based record label.
Christiansen, a Louisville-based band, sounds as though its album,
Stylish Nihilists, was influenced to a good degree by
Ink & Dagger. In particular, certain aspects of the vocals and the occasional aggressive nature of the music bear a similarity to the vampire punk rock group. On the other hand, the band still brings a good share of melodies and structure, just the opposite of the punk rock nature.
Christiansen's ability to combine the two and make something catchy, intelligent, fun, and yet still with an edge just goes to show how far this band has come. Along with memorable lyrics ("When you die I'll be your DJ," "The Frankenstein implied without Shelley"), the bandmembers keep their sense of humor as a quality asset to impress listeners.
Stylish Nihilists takes all these positive aspects to make a quality album from a band that is really starting to come into its own. ~ Kurt Morris