Portland band The Key make a valiant effort with their first release, the 6 song EP The New Age. Their dark, brooding rock sound is effectively captured on the record, which is itself catchy and enjoyable. For a self-recorded and mixed record, the sound quality is pretty impressive, well and evenly mixed, with a great opening electro-keyboard/guitar bit that melds well into the first real track, "The New Pope", a crashing pop punk number that could get the whitest man up dancing.

Though a couple of the tracks fall a bit short of the mark (and the entirely unnecessary five or so minutes of wind and Doors-esque poetry feels quite out of place), overall the EP stands up quite well; particularly the fourth track, "Nightfall, Waterfall", which plays as a solid blend of modern indie rock and 80's dark pop, ala Nick Cave or The Cure. The Key is definitely a band worth watching out for.

-Dave Mandell