Hello Reader,
Welcome back. How’s your week been?
Today we’re going to delve into the project, Unlettered. This is the hypnotic, fuzzy in the best ways, noisy in the best ways as well, post-punk project of Florida-based musician, Mike Knowlton. Mike has been involved with music for decades and may be best known for the 90s experimental scene in the NYC band, Gapeseed. Currently, he’s also a member of the band Poem Rocket.
Unlettered’s debut EP arrived in 2021 with Selinsgrove EP, the next year they released Port Royal EP. In 2023, the band released the New Egypt EP. And now, the band is ready to release their first full-length album debut! Yes, that’s right, Five Mile Point is out on Friday, November 22nd for your listening pleasure. This is the first album with Knowlton’s wife Kelly Grimm who after listening to the album, you’ll agree is a welcomed presence and collaborator. The Five Mile Point album Bandcamp page is the best place to listen to and get the album.
According to the album’s press release, “With Unlettered, he conjures an unholy trinity of influences—Polvo, Sonic Youth, and Lungfish—crafting a sonic landscape that soars through a chaotic world of detuned, driving post-punk anthems.” Of those three I’m personally most familiar with Sonic Youth, but if you’re reading this review, I hope you’re a fan of all three groups. The press release goes on to explain the album by saying, “Knowlton conjures fuzzed-out rhythms and swirling, angular melodies while they both lyrically unpack themes of transition, loss, and melancholy—a poignant exploration of the human experience.”
Giving credit where it’s due. Five Mile Point album credits:
- Music written, performed, recorded and programmed by M. Knowlton
- Lyrics by M. Knowlton and K. Grimm
- Produced and engineered by M. Knowlton at The Swamp in Englewood, Florida
- Mastered by Nicholas Bolton
And now for some hype for your ears!
The gorgeous sludge that is the song, “She Is Inside You” and if you use the next track button, you can hear the lovely drone within the song “Leave Behind”:
Overall, Five Mile Point is a great showcase that proves that Mike Knowlton is a menace on the guitar in the best ways. As a listener, you will be wowed a few times by his skill. I guarantee that. The compositions Knowlton crafted have a good degree of variance and keep you on your toes and engaged. Most of the songs offer some degree of melodic shift and all shifts are done with the utmost skill on display. The underlying foundations for the melodies are beautifully executed. At times, there is drone but as a listener you remain entertained. Both he and Grimm’s vocals are fantastically paired with the melodies. They both get several chances to shine throughout this album.
The opening song, “Dither” kicks off the album with some mood setting melodic guitar playing. The initial back and forth is soon followed by a more frenetic melodic shift then Knowlton’s vocals then another melodic shift. This is the first song of many within the album on which Knowlton shows of his shifting expertise. “She Is Inside You” is an absolute jam. I love every second of this beast. There’s a lot of guitar, an incredible rhythm that is easy to groove along to and vocals that cut through the wall of noise abyss. The next song “Median Coverage” is the first in which we hear Grimm’s vocals. They are delivered in a spoken word like cadence with a delivery that reminds me of slam poetry. She holds no punches and spares no bars, and it works on top of Knowlton’s guitar and synth driven melody. “The Great Dwindle” speaks to me in its marching beat and cadence. It evolves forward, progressing to the next note, at times in a circular fashion returning to previous progressions to great effect. The lyrics are inquisitive and seem to come to a conclusion by the song’s end. The next song “About Time” has lyrics that plead, and a melody that is distorted at times, showing off some stop starts and jangly guitars in the best ways.
The sixth song on the album and the only one with words is “12:49” and it opens with cranked up synth sounding noise. At a louder volume than the previous song. The volume and melody quiet a bit allowing for Knowlton’s vocals to stand out. A little over 3/4 into the song and we get the manically paced wall of noise sound. It’s not for everyone nor does it appeal to be. The next song, “Leave Behind” begins with a similar melody to one we’ve heard before. It’s a memorable melody so kudos on this composition as well. The jam about halfway through is lovely and will transport listeners back in time. One of a few times, while listening to this album, they’ll have that experience. There is no slow fade out to this song. I love the fairly abrupt mid note ending. “Boon Dog” is the second to last song and the second longest song as well. The song’s lyrics and melody take you on a journey. The refrain within the chorus sticks with you. “Services Rendered” closes out the album in a wonderful noise of competing sounds to form the early part of the song. They mesh well together. It works. The addition of Grimm’s vocals in a telephone sounding fashion compliment Knowlton’s during the same portion of the song.
Five Mile Point gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It’s a solid body of work that fits well into the 4 Scum Drops range, relative to all new albums in 2024. To me, this is Knowlton’s best work so far, due to its completeness. It’s more polished and nuanced. There are definitely more good songs than just an EPs worth, so he’s rewarded for the full album approach with this selection of songs. It’s far too easy for one who doesn’t listen to a lot of “louder, noisy, post-punk or punk” music to only hear volume and never truly explore the music fully. Which is a shame to me because you end up missing out on some great music. Within this album, I think everyone that listens will find at least a few songs that they’ll enjoy due to the lyrics alone. I’d recommend adding this album to your collection via the band’s Bandcamp page. Though this one would sound good on vinyl if it is ever pressed.
Five Mile Point Track listing [song length]
- Dither [3:28]
- She Is Inside You [4:46]
- Median Coverage [4:07]
- The Great Dwindle [3:42]
- About Time [3:15]
- 12:49 [4:06]
- Leave Behind [3:44]
- Boon Dog [4:50]
- Services Rendered [6:46]
Total runtime: 38:44
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. From start to finish, the listening process with Five Mile Point will take you less than 40 minutes of your time. Less than one and a half hours if you listen twice back-to-back. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
Looking to find out more about the band? Check out their site. Looking to hear more? Head over to their bandcamp. If you’d like to follow their socials, check out their Instagram.
Before I go, I’ll leave some information that fans of the ’80s band Meat Whiplash will especially enjoy. From the album’s press release, “Unlettered is also contributing two songs to the forthcoming compilation Meat Whiplash Collected/
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
