Selected Reviews

Illinois Entertainer, Around Hear, 4/05: What The Grackles churn out on their debut full-length, Honeypot, is simply some of the most solid indie-punk one's likely to hear. Catchy, edgy, and raw, Honeypot features superb guitars and vocals from John Huston and pounding and aggressive percussion from drummer Nicole Roach. These guys channel everything from Sonic Youth to Buffalo Tom to create a memorable release. -- by Dean Ramos

Chicago Reader, The Treatment, 12/31/04: This local trio cranks out familiar and cozy versions of sleeves-rolled indie rock by way of the Pixies and Husker Du. On their debut, Honeypot (Pirate Alley), they put pre-emo emotional energy and post-Naked Raygun blasting force into the lurching skeletons of almost-there songs like "In the Shadow of a Rocking Chair" and "Sun Spots." The results come off slightly shrill and a little awkward, like a newborn colt struggling on gawky legs, but there's potential for real power. -- by Monica Kendrick

Chicago Red Eye/Metromix.com 3/23/05: Thank god -- we can't get enough of this trio's guitar-driven indie-rock, a la Superchunk and Husker Du. -- by Matt McGuire

Pistil Magazine, 3/05: I played The Grackles' Honeypot for my students, ages 7-12. Here were some of the reactions:
"Skateboards" --Joe, age 7. "Wild" --Megan , age 9. "Vacation" --Sarah, age 10. "Today's emotional rock" (insightful, no?) --Luc, age 8. And my favorite: "It makes me want to be in a band" --Travis, age 11.
...The music is beautiful, catchy and aggressive, yet treads on a path already trod, which is fine, because I love these familiar routes. If you like your rock with intelligent lyrics and songs that are a hair too on the long side to accommodate, but still wrapped in a radiant indie rock bow, then the Grackles are your band. -- by Clef Charles

Sound Check, Pioneer Press newspapers, 4/14/04: They play songs like "Brick Cloud" and "You Should Hire a Singer," short, furious and loud. The Grackles definitely exude energy, a very focused and well-calculated anger that blares through speakers with undeniable force. It's so intense that it"s hard not to listen, an invaluable punk tool.
This makes me think that Huston & Co. are very aware of the medium. They know what's been done before, and how much they can get away with, which is a lot. Driving rhythm, easy chord changes, conveying seriousness set to themes like "working out."
And the crowd at the Lyon's Den in Chicago (on April 2, 2004) was responding, some even dancing, head-banging against walls, which is rare to see from the self-conscious fans these days. -- by Allison Augustyn

Razorcake.com, 10/6/04: This hearkens back to the days of early '90s alt-rock, before it denigrated (sic) into the completely soppy crap that now flies that flag. I hear bits of Poster Children and others in their sound, and they're quite adept at what they do. In the long run it may not exactly be something I'd listen to all that often, but I do acknowledge their efforts. -- by Jimmy Alvarado

Antimusic.com and rocknworld.com: The Grackles are a Chicago threesome who play tight, punchy songs. The one thing that stood out to me is the balance the band displays. All three of the instruments are prominent throughout the CD, but you can't really say that any one instrument drives the sound more than the others.
If I had to put The Grackles into a category, I'd call them a screamo band, and a good one at that. ...The Grackles tend toward mellow verses and choruses in which all three members increase their volume. "Brick Cloud" is a good example of this transition. The verses of "Brick Cloud" have a kind of alt/pop or emo sound and the chorus is filled with screeching feedback and screaming reminiscent of Sonic Youth.
There is a lot of energy on this album, which leads me to believe that The Grackles are a good live band. They sound like they pour their hearts into making their music, and to be honest, that's pretty refreshing. Honeypot is a very solid album that is worth checking out and at only thirty-six minutes, leaves you wanting more. -- by Gary Schwind