Admitted: I've got some major nostalgia wrapped up in this collection. In fact, this isn't the first time I've done a write up of the trio. Enamored with their style as sophomore at Northeast High, I wrote a review of their album, Wellsville (included in this discography), for a school publication. 

I first caught their act at a school cookout deal, and watched the youngster trio unload their gear onto the lawn as I ate a sack lunch. They held a small crowd captive with driving, emo-ridden tunes like "Call Me Achiever" and "Advice To a Friend." With catchy melodies and the developing voice of Marcus Stoesz screeching lines like, "She can't love you / You'll react as you won't have a clue" alongside the occasional screams of Dan Davis, they prowled around the all age circuit for several years.    

While Hanoi Chevrolet comes in at the low-fi end of production quality, these charming tunes are surprisingly well-crafted for a set of sixteen-year-olds. Their use of dynamic, transition, builds, and layering set them apart from other pop-oriented groups. "The Horror," for example, moves between distorted angst and warm, finger picked melodies, concluding in an all-out meltdown of screams accompanied by a horn solo. 

The group was a breeding ground for things to come. Marcus Stoesz moved on to create The Music Wrong and Paper Airplanes, Dan Davis formed Ricky Fitts and Weather is Happening, and Chris Trenary releases tunes under the moniker of Rewind and has become a fixture in the scene with his Delano shop, Rewound Sounds. 

Recommended for fans of Mineral, Casket Lottery, and other late 90s era emo.

//

From Wichita, KS.

Hanoi Chevrolet was:

Marcus Stoesz - Guitar, vocals

Dan Davis - Bass, Yells

Chris Trenary - Drums, Jams