Send "Make Do and Mend " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 It isn't often that you hear a band that keeps a strong punk base and adds onto it a layer of impressive hooks. Make Do and Mend makes a habit of it. While their overwhelming sound is purely punk-based, the hooks laden on the group's latest release, End Measured Mile, are fantastically executed. This sort of style is rough enough for beardy punk fans to enjoy immensely, yet still accessible enough for all of their girlfriends to keep on their iPods."Unknowingly Strong" is a ferocious opener, with a blazing guitar riff and energetic, throaty vocals from James Carroll. Carroll's vocals stand out on this record, as the youthful sound of his voice doesn't compromise his emotion or aggression. The band's sound is cohesive, as though they are veterans of the post-hardcore scene, but this is their first full length record for Panic Records. "Ghostal" is the next choice cut, featuring great backup vocals from La Dispute's Jordan Dreyers. Like the opener, "Ghostal" has a chorus that, while aggressive, is catchy enough to allow Make Do and Mend to appeal to a wide variety of listeners. Immediately following is the strongest song on the record, "Transparent Seas". The catchiest hook on End Measured Mile is presented in the chorus, where Carroll belts out, "But I would fold my hands and buckle to my knees / And I would pray the sky would fall down on me / I would stumble to the shore and be baptized in the waves / If it meant that everything we know doesn't go away, someday." The lyrics on this track and throughout End Measured Mile are more mature than those on Make Do and Mend's previous release, their Bodies of Water EP. The advancement in lyricism accompanies more polished and organized musicianship. Don't think that the fact that Make Do and Mend has progressed has changed its overall sound, though. The band still bring a good amount of heaviness to the record, which can be heard on the short "For A Dreamer". "Keep This" begins with a solid hook and proves to be one of the easiest songs on End Measured Mile to sing along to. "Firewater" brings in another gem of a guitar hook but is highlighted by a string arrangement near the middle of the song. The strings are a nice touch to add in as the album is winding down. Closer "Night's the Only Time of Day" has an intro that lulls the listener into an unsuspecting state before the chorus begins an complete assault. A strong bridge and good guitar work set up for a final chorus that rounds out the record....full text |
| Sputnikmusic |
| For some reason, it’s always the bands that I hate the most that I end up loving the most. It happened with La Dispute, Touche Amore, and Kaddisfly. Now it’s happening with Make Do and Mend. I used to hate the harsh, manly vocals that I hadn’t really heard before I listened to these guys, but it has definitely grown on me since. Bringing dynamic drums, clever lyrics, and catchy vocal melodies to the table, there isn’t much to not like about Make Do and Mend’s latest LP, End Measured Mile. Save for two weak beats throughout the CD, the drums are the glue that holds this record together. A halftime drum beat leading into the second verse of Ghostal provides the contrast needed to make it one of the best moments of this 34 minute album…but then it leads to an even better moment, but we’ll get to that later. Stand Stagger showcases the great drums aiding the progression of the song through use of dynamics and feel. The best moment drum-wise is the buildup in Keep This where the drummer does a fill of oddly accented notes. Firewater’s intro has the same drum beat we have all heard before, and it really doesn’t need to be there…one of the truly weak moments for the drums. The kick drum counting in the second half of the first verse in Transparent Seas is corny sounding; they could have come up with something a little more creative. Combining the chilling guitar lines, epic drum build up, and Jordan Dreyer’s (La Dispute) vocals makes the second verse of Ghostal the best part of End Measured Mile. Hopefully this opinion isn’t just reflective of the fact that La Dispute is my favorite band. It is also not to say that the vocals on this CD aren’t good, they are great in fact. However, the lyrics trounce the vocals by default due to them being very insightful and clever. Lines like, “The grass is only greener here if you plant it that way,” and “It’s too hard to keep pretending that you’re more than the mark of an old scar that doesn’t hurt anymore,” will have you reading them over and over again trying to find more meaning behind them. The vocal melody of the verse of Transparent Seas is exactly what my ears want to hear every time I listen to it, but the vocals fail to impress during the epic guitar lead in Thanks, creating so much unused potential for the singer. While this album has creative moments like the chorus chords in Stand Stagger and the start/stop drums in Thanks, Oak Square has a weak structure and Firewater is extremely predictable. This album’s main weakness is the monotony of it; songs like Keep This and For a Dreamer are basically skip-able tracks. Other songs like Firewater do well at creating contrast by using slide guitar, and other stringed instruments....full text |
| Pluginmusic |
| Paper + Plastick and Panic Records have announced Make Do And Mends' full-length debut, "End Measured Mile," will be available digitally on October 26th, with a vinyl release to follow. In anticipation of the new album, AbsolutePunk is streaming the new song "Transparent Seas." "Our biggest goal in both the writing and recording of End Measured Mile was to grow as musicians and create a record that was a marked progression from our last EP," says vocalist/guitarist James Carroll. "In our opinions, we succeeded with flying colors." Recorded this past July with co-producers Nick Bellmore (Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow, Death Threat) at Dexter's Lab in Milford, CT and Jason Maas (Bane, Verse, Title Fight) at Getaway Group studio in Wakefield, MA, "End Measured Mile"'s ten tracks range in subject matter from isolation, to the trials and tribulations of playing in a touring band. Expanding on their post-hardcore sound first heard on the "Bodies Of Water" EP (Panic, 2009), Make Do And Mend pushed their musical boundaries on the new album. "We really flexed our melodic muscles on ‘Transparent Seas' and ‘Stand Stagger.'" Carroll adds. "Both of these songs explore extremely varying structural, musical, and lyrical dynamics. It is really nice to listen back and feel like we took a bit of a leap and landed firm on our feet." Since releasing their "Bodies Of Water" EP last year, Make Do And Mend has been hard at work. With five North American tours in the books with bands such as Comeback Kid, Set Your Goals, and P+P labelmates Shook Ones, the band recorded "End Measured Mile" in four weeks between cross-country runs this summer....full text |
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