1090 Club’s second release, Natural Selection, features ten tracks of harmonizing guitar, bass, drums, piano and violin. This four piece band from Billings, Montana has produced a relatively solid album with help from producer Steve Fisk who has worked with such bands as Nirvana and Minus The Bear. For the most part, Natural Selection has its fair share of good tracks and at the same time an equal share of mediocre tracks.

The first song, ITSON, features a driving drum rhythm throughout the song accompanied by dark guitar and piano riffs. The violin kicks in within the first 15 seconds of the song and I must admit, the violin is rather refreshing. It seems as though too many bands simply rely on “core” instruments (guitar, bass, drums) and not enough on other instruments, but 1090 Club is an exception and they do a rather good job of incorporating the violin and piano into their songs. “Happiness” is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album with quick drums and once again, the nice incorporation of the violin. The guitar riff in the verse is also a really nice touch to this song. However, the vocals in the song seem really rough and awkward in the chorus. The vocals on a majority of the album are really forced and boring–the singer doesn’t really offer much to the songs. The strong instrumentals in songs likes “Claire” and “Do” make up for the lack of vocals, but I would say that the vocals are the biggest downside to this album.

Despite the weak vocals, don’t let that stop you from checking out Natural Selection. The instrumentals and overall melodies of the songs switch off between relaxing and upbeat. This album features some really nice violin, piano and drum work which is really nice to see because so many bands only rely on guitar riffs and vocals. For the most part, the 1090 Club has released an album that has an equal mix of songs that remind me of music from Cursive and Mates Of States, and I would recommend giving Natural Selection a listen for yourself.

Track Listing
1. ITSON
2. Off My Mind
3. Conversations
4. Happiness
5. Earworm
6. Things Inside
7. Claire
8. Hearts
9. Positive Reinforcement
10. An Act