Using only a dog-eared copy of "Book Your Own Fucking Life" -- Maximum Rock 'n' Roll magazine's annual almanac of underground dives and punk-friendly watering holes -- Party of Helicopters staked its claim to indie fame in true DIY spirit. The Kent, Ohio-based artcore quartet, which has issued a string of highly touted singles and full-lengths, reaches new heights with its latest effort, Please Believe It. Granted, the group's ambitious melange of styles can be a bit unsettling. Short-haired musicians playing long-haired music, Party's members seem to love nothing more than hopping from gear-stripped punk to geometry metal within the space of a few bars. Thankfully, vocalist Joe Dennis wasn't born with a Rob Halford gene in his body, which reins in any tendencies toward Dioesque dragon slaying. Instead, Party delivers whip-smart tunes, such as the quaintly titled "Bastard Motherfucker," which invokes Fugazi in a particularly sour mood.
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