Look at that cover…I mean, just look at it. Stare at it; let it wash over you; absorb it.

Strength's “Mind Reader” http://www.metrospirit.com/index.php?cat=1993101070394080&ShowArticle_ID=11012109100921296

BY JOSH RUFFIN

Strength “Mind Reader” Available Now CommunityDisco.com Look at that cover…I mean, just look at it. Stare at it; let it wash over you; absorb it. If your skin is now emitting a strange, luminescent glow, don’t panic; that’s just Fear itself being scared shitless and leaving your body. Honestly, I don’t know why you’re still looking—if I had to look directly into the eyes of three Petri Dish babies obviously cobbled together from the DNA of Rivers Cuomo and Crispin Glover, I’d burn my eyes out with the tips of my own flame-engulfed hair. Obviously, Strength could do with a cover artist that doesn’t rely on drunkenly Photoshopping tuxedos and fire. Actually, though, tuxedos-and-fire may be an apt analogy for the band’s combustible cross-section of punk, electronica, rave, and what-the-f*ck. The sound is slick and laser-precise, but imbued with a sneering, frenetic pace. True, openers “Metal” and “Brandy” border on self-parody, but when the album finds its footing on “Disaster” and the pulsing, disco-ish “Marianne, it holds pretty steady. This band is apparently blowing up in the Northwest, and it’s easy to see why. Not necessarily the universal cup of tea, but if you’ve ever asked yourself how that blood actually got on the dance floor, “Mind Reader” may provide the answers you’ve been looking for.