Claw Like Things “Ladders of Opportunity” Review
Claw Like Things only formed last fall, but are already on their second EP, and have a weekly gig booked for January at the Nomad. A band coming up so fast must have something to them, and Ladders Of Opportunity doesn’t disappoint the presupposition. Claw Like Things harness the ideals of their influences (Bowie, Gypsy Jazz) on an EP that reads like a concept album. The theme? Welcome to the downfall. Present-day anywhere, where people are poor, struggling, with no shelter to be sought. Who better to tell the tale than a band out of Minneapolis, a region ripe with nostalgic rock and MCAD alum living in collective slums. For them, this is better than living like the other side (see “Civil”), and Minneapolis already has more than its share of yuppie rock. The six-track EP focuses upon melodic and lyrical content, both of which sound all too familiar, yet not precisely what was heard before. “The Monster Comes Alive” and “Present Resident” are evenly bleak and up tempo, poking fun at the slummy conditions in downtown and home. The aesthetic follows that of gypsy music, for the passing down of knowledge, and adapting to the times.
[Review by guest contributor Crystal Erickson.]
