TODAY!

Clearly, Orange County’s Sixstep marches to their own beat, wherever that beat may come from. They call their sound “comprehensive rock,” whatever the what for that means. House of Cards, their second album I think (much of their information is sketchy and obtuse), rolls together elements of classic rock with portions of ska, reggae, jazz, and blues in what can only be considered eclectic.

While at first spin the songs and music seem oddly discordant, lacking any cohesion, they, strangely enough, become clever and entertaining. This is especially true of the more lively tunes like Worm or Get In Line. The best part: they’ve got saxophone in them. Gotta dig sax. Then there are tunes that vacillate between somberness and strangeness like Party for Steven, In the Rain, and Apocalyptic Breakfast. Then there’s the weird, like the circus play of Klown. Perhaps Sixsteps is most persuasive when the merge classic rock with ska and a touch 40’s big band jazz as on Enjoy the Free Fall. I said from the start, House of Cards is eclectic from start to finish, certainly not your average venture in modern rock. It’s also an acquired taste, kind of like eating Russian caviar while slurping Dom Perignon, but worth checking out. Recommended.