"Desert City Soundtrack produces immaculately detailed and exceptionally dark music. Contents Of Distraction both caresses and pummels the listener, hammering you with sheer guitar violence and strained vocals before evaporating gracefully into moments of unsettled tranquility, accented by the moody beauty of Cory Gray's piano. This is a band which has control over a wide range of emotions, rising and falling as desperate lyrics paint uneasy pictures of life's insecurities. Matt Carillo is a vocalist to admire, for he strains his vocals to their breaking point before collecting himself, all the while remaining in command of his words. The most impressive aspect of the band is the sheer girth of their sound, as the members incorporate hardcore with more ethereal components, yet still have the passion to generate the six minute plus songs like Murderhearts, a pristine piano-laced effort that appears harmless until its volcanic climax. Unequivocally, Contents Of Distraction is worth finding." - Jersey Beat

"Imagine if Faith No More or the Afghan Whigs had taken the emo path, and you'll be close to the sonic heart of Desert City Soundtrack. The Portland, OR quartet offers a broad range of musical delights on its seven-track, fleshed out EP, Contents Of Distraction. The most striking element of the DCS sound is the tension built up between the cascading sheets of Matt Carillo's guitars and the emotionally intense counterpoint of Cory Gray's magnificent piano constructions. Gray's multi-instrumental capabilities (all keyboards, vocals and trumpet) and Carillo's careening vocal and guitar gyrations, along with the intuitively gifted rhythm section of bassist Make Casanova and drummer Caitlin Love, gives Desert City Soundtrack a balance and maturity rare in the punk / emo genre, and hints at the potential of a full album's worth of similar material." - Rockpile

"Contents Of Distraction from Desert City Soundtrack is filled to the brim with earnest convictions and a general display of unabashed, cathartic emotion that is neither sappy nor gratuitous. Instead, the whole record rocks out in the same intense, visceral vein as forefathers like Rites Of Spring, albeit in a more varied, disturbing manner. The instrumentation is tight and refined on numbers like Murderhearts and Widow's Staircase with odd meter and a haunting trumpet put to good use. Cardboard Hill surges with sound, as a piano goes from the foreground to the back, fighting with the vocal harmonies in an effort to stay afloat and punch through the mix. And yeah, it's pretty beautiful. What to Do In Case Of Fire ignites the entire mood and tone of the album, its dizzying changes in pace and tone serving as appropriate summations of the bulk of Contents Of Distraction. Much like their Deep Elm label mates, Desert City Soundtrack embody heart and soul, something rarely seen in this world of ring tones and that annoying guy from the Dell commercials. Fuck post-modernisms, fuck irony, fuck all that pre-meditated, calculated baloney. Desert City Soundtrack make music and feel it whilst playing it. You can't fake sweat and blood this sincerely." - Deep Fry Bonanza

"If Coldplay and Sonic Youth produced a love child, Desert City Soundtrack would be it. The Portland-based quartet, which features former members of Edaline, fuses elements of piano-soaked Brit-pop and discordant, angular post-punk with trumpet swells and strained vocals to create songs that teeter precariously between gorgeously melodic and seething explosiveness. It's a dynamic and expressive seven-song disc that captures the attention early on and refuses to let go until it has succeeded in making its point." - Exclaim

"Desert City Soundtrack hinge their post-hardcore blueprint on a piano and the effectiveness of Contents Of Distraction depends almost entirely on the increased emotional range that it provides. Their seamless combination of hollow, gothic tones with angry guitar fills up the emotional ante. What To Do In Case Of Fire is a perfect example; an up-tempo, minor-key sing-and-screamathon with widely varying density, top-notch drumming, cracked vocals and soaring chorus. Matt Carillo's a capella screams fall into a dense web of woody piano tones, intricate drums and tremoloed guitars that feel like a safety net, making his plaintiveness more immediate, more real. Desert City Soundtrack reminds the listener how much more powerful a musical appeal to emotion can be when it is delivered with varying degrees of anger, sadness and resignation." - Splendid

"Imagination is Desert City Soundtrack's most potent weapon. Contents Of Distraction is ethereal yet grounded at every turn, covering the entire spectrum from silent to violent. Weaving layers of vocal screams, distorted guitars and intense drumming around a grand piano, this album is twenty-nine minutes of beautifully orchestrated rock and roll. A lot of imagination and fearlessness went into making a record that is not only original but also excellent. A noble victory in rock and roll." - Punk News

"Deep Elm Records has stayed alive by ignoring the fads and sticking with talent, and Desert City Soundtrack's debut, Contents Of Distraction, is a good example of why the label isn't looking for its integrity like the rest of the bandwagoneers. The band combines melodic and screaming vocals, distorted guitar, soothing bass and intricate drums. Unlike most though, they add piano and an occasional blaring trumpet. The result is a debut that is chock full of melody and melodrama. And just when you think the song has died, it awakens with a piano run or a screeched vocal. Such elements may throw you a rope instead of leaving you to wallow in the mire, but they won't force you to grab hold. Instead of asking for your shoulder to cry on, Desert City Soundtrack digs deeper into the psyche of loneliness and despair through their intense lyrics. Fans of Blackheart Procession along with the Deep Elm faithful will find comfort in the pain of Contents Of Distraction." - Actionman

"There is an intense soul searching found in the lyrics of Contents Of Distraction, coupled with truly beautiful piano work, rage filled vocals and vitriolic spasms of musical outburst. Desert City Soundtrack's tremendous energy and emotion pour out of the speakers. An overwhelmingly powerful album that levels the ears and breaks the heart, Contents Of Distraction has a euphoric beauty that brings a balance to the album overall." - Swizzle-Stick

"Contents Of Distraction by Desert City Soundtrack is utterly amazing. Technical drumming, varied and challenging time signatures, this band always surprises you. Matt Carrillo and Cory Gray's vocals are soothing, while the guitars are melodic. The piano driven songs give Desert City Soundtrack a new spin compared to other bands out today. This is one of the best releases of 2003!" - United Front

"The six songs on Contents Of Distraction from Desert City Soundtrack possess some of the most stunning and consequential moments in post-hardcore this year and possibly on this side of the millennium. Surreal and dark, crisp and terrifying, the Portland, Oregon quartet will captivate you with aching piano arrangements, heart-laid-bare vocals, twisting and blistering guitar, drums and bass, wedging themselves neatly into your record collection. A couple spins of the song Foglifter and it becomes utterly apparent that DCS is teeming with such spitfire and venom that they won't likely be rivaled by most of the other lethargic post-punk garbage that is clogging up college radio airplay and indie record bins these day." - Bettawreckonize

"Desert City Soundtrack are shipwrecked on the island of turmoil after having been battered by the seas of angst. Explosions of energy and noise, then caesuras of piano and jazz drumming, braided together like an ex-lover's hair as she slams the door for the last time. Blinding passages of gut-wrenching emotion seemingly dredged up from very, very dark places, this is the kind of record that does your head in and takes you back to memories that you've been trying to forget. That's one of the things I always respect; when a band's music appeals to your consciousness...your being. Imagine a soundtrack - not of a desert city - but of the intensity of the desert sun and the severity and viciousness of the struggle for life in the wilderness. Then imagine the stark bareness of the desert suddenly teeming with life that was just below your senses, and imagine the desert sky, cold, beautiful and distant. Desert City Soundtrack make music that is startlingly beautiful and dangerously menacing." - Culture Bunker

"Every second of Contents Of Distraction is incredible and Desert City Soundtrack seriously destroys everything in its path. Adding their own unique ballad-like twist to the likes of I Hate Myself, Black Heart Procession and Milemarker, Desert City Soundtrack rely on piano as the backbone throughout. The songs are epic, with layers of guitars, piano, effects, screamed and sung vocals, and melodies that build into one mountainous sound before crashing down into pure, gut-wrenching chaos. This is one of the most intense bands I have ever heard. From the urgent opener, you are taken on a journey of heartache, depression and isolation. Desert City Soundtrack make music that takes you on a roller coaster of moods in one song. Dynamic and powerful, there is no way you will be the same after listening. Contents Of Distraction is an extremely moving debut and easily one of the top releases of 2002." - Punkbands

"Desert City Soundtrack continue Deep Elm's amazing trend of releasing the most creative indie rock bands around (the non-pretentious kind that actually plays music and not some irritating form of noise, grotesquely labeled 'art'). Contents Of Distraction is seven songs that burn through 30 minutes of music. The ingredients for this recipe include a piano, trumpet, organ, buzzing guitars, some real flavorful percussion and a lot of screaming. There's a decidedly hard, intense edge to the music, but Desert City Soundtrack has just as many beautiful qualities as well. Lyrically, Contents Of Distraction is sincerely powerful. Like practically all Deep Elm releases, the artwork on the record is simple yet stylish. Odds are, you've never heard a band pull off this kind of sound before. Desert City Soundtrack are definitely a band to check out." - Pastepunk

"Maybe one of the best post hardcore debuts of this year, Desert City Soundtrack hit hard with Contents Of Distraction. So hard, I'm still recovering two weeks later. Starting things off with What To Do In Case Of Fire, the erratic guitar sounds jump into play, while the beautiful piano melodies join. The dynamics of the band are absolutely amazing; one moment, slow beautiful melodies which take you on a dreamy ride. Next, high energy, full of emotion and completely knocks you out. The vocals are amazing, from taunting and soft, to screams that even Planes Mistaken For Stars would be scared of. Contents Of Distraction is in the running for one of the best debuts of this year. I haven't heard an album this inspiring in a while, and its refreshing to hear something original. No doubt if you like the Deep Elm roster you're going to go nuts over this. A must have." - Good Music Rocks

"Simply put, Desert City Soundtrack create music that is the equivalent of a snowstorm; at times fast, at times slow, blowing in from different angles and speeds, even changing forms at times. I frequently speak of records that are summertime music, but Contents Of Distraction completely deconstruct that notion, just as winter deconstructs the fruits and leaves of trees. The band plays music that is beyond what four people should humanely be able to play. Piano lines lay down next to clashing drums and guitars with the most smooth screaming I've ever heard. One of the tightest records that I've ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Pick this up." - Neufutur

"Extremely unique, Desert City Soundtrack creates soundscapes of emotion that seem cold and barren, but lay out everything they have, leveling the listener. The stark design of washed out photographs on the artwork for Contents Of Distraction perfectly represents the band's sound. An midwestern mix of The Black Heart Procession and The Casket Lottery, the first track begins with Matt Carrillo's screams and somber singing mixed together with energetic drumming, wailing guitars and perfectly moving piano. For the rest of the record, Desert City Soundtrack lift their heavy music through solitary marches where pained vocals and piano slowly move together, joined by perfectly timed horns or noisy guitars, only to be left alone again to go about their business of reveling in pain. Reaching its pinnacle on Murderhearts, the piano slowly presses into action while the guitar equals the slow pace and emphasizes the heightened emotion. Soon, vocals are sung into the mix until the urgency grows and the band erupts with screams and noise. There are no words to describe how this makes you feel. It's just that good." - Bedlam Society

"I like the vibe that Desert City Soundtrack gives out. There's a classical background with beautiful piano playing at its foundation, but on top of that soothing layer there are crashing cymbals, drums and impassioned vocals that rise and fall in a mesmerizing cacophony that shouldn't work, but it does. The piano wins the battle over the course of these seven songs and that's fine by me. Contents Of Distraction is a record to kick back and absorb in solitude." - Fracture

"It's been a while since anyone really used the piano as the truly dynamic instrument that it is, and Desert City Soundtrack does just that. These boys use the instruments as well as anyone I've heard in some time, but it's the use of that one piece that really sets these boys apart. The writing is spectacular and the full production sound really rings when it's cooking just right, but I always come back to the piano. There is an offhand grandeur to the songs, but mostly what this is is Desert City Soundtrack music, and I can say it is a very fine thing, indeed." - Aiding AbdAbetting

"Among the breakthrough bands of 2002 is Desert City Soundtrack, who has released one of the best debuts ever on Deep Elm Records, Contents Of Distraction. Six beautiful, intense rock songs along the lines of Black Heart Procession, with a dark and deep atmosphere created by the piano. Songs like Widow's Staircase and What To Do In Case Of Fire are examples of how the band can mix together dark elements with guitars, piano and intimate lyrics. The band will release their debut full length in 2003...an album that I am already waiting for." - Truepunk

"Contents Of Distraction is the first release from an incredibly talented post-hardcore band, Desert City Soundtrack. Piano is the key instrument, carrying the melodies quite effectively as the piano player is nothing short of amazing. What makes this band so different from other indie bands incorporating piano into their music is how the heavy chords are used to help express an element of sadness during the screamo sections. This is especially evident on Murder Hearts, which is my favorite song. The vocals are also very well done, blending the sadness and anger together all at once. This is good because you can understand the despondently poetic lyrics, but still feel the desperation and anger. Desert City Soundtrack is nothing less than exceptional, and Contents Of Distraction left me wanting more." - Decoy

"Where does Deep Elm find all these brilliant bands? Contents Of Distraction from Desert City Soundtrack is another example for the label's dedicated artist research. They play moving, emotionally irresistible indie rock with a skillfully played piano as the lead instrument. These are epic, yet structured masterpieces of timeless songwriting that embrace overwhelming tension and desperate, cathartic outbursts of screamed vocals. Yesterday I didn't know them...today Desert City Soundtrack is already a favorite." - Enough

"There's no question that Desert City Soundtrack's debut, Contents of Distraction is packed with ambition. The band has put together something truly progressive here, blending the best parts of emo and hardcore and adding liberal dashes of Pink Floyd. Sure that's a heavy statement, but the record backs it up, mixing abrasive screams and mournful pianos as if they were never expected to be apart. Alternating elements of melody and cacophony keep Contents Of Distraction crawling through these seven exceptional songs." - Inkdrinker

"Intense and graceful are two words that don't come together that often. However, Desert City Soundtrack intrinsically bring such sounds together on Contents Of Distraction. An innate discord dominates the record, creating instability in the beginning that later translates to conformity as the sound is held together by periods of unity that transition seamlessly in and out of the turmoil. Energy pours from this release, feedback gives way to an onslaught of emotion and composure and ferocity play off each other before fusing common ground. Songs like What To Do In Case Of Fire are a struggle on a cycle of rest and resilience that uses competing rhythms to construct disarray. Piano is the constant through it all; it is what keeps the record together. Though Contents of Distraction's beginning and end are quite distinct, everything in between works to fluently unite the two." - 30music

"With Desert City Soundtrack, there are moments of sheer assault and screams, moments of melodic beauty and everything in between. The production on Contents Of Distraction is perfect, the songs powerful and emotional...this release is brilliant. The first thing you'll notice is the piano. Then the amazing drumming, which is intense and brilliantly complex. The guitars are melodic while still allowing the piano to remain the lead on many songs, and the vocals are intense and powerful, much more in a hardcore bent and screamed while remaining understandable. Once again, Deep Elm is paving the way in emotional post hardcore. Along with Lewis' album earlier this year, they have released two brilliant releases on different ends of the spectrum. Desert City Soundtrack is perfect for the hardcore fans who remember that emo was originally loud, intense and shouted. Yet, I don't know if it was ever as moving and deep as Contents Of Distraction. This one's gonna be on my Best-Of list this year." - Delusions of Adequacy

"This is good. Very good. Desert City Soundtrack have a grooving and melodic take on post hardcore, with ominous piano proving to be a massive element in their sound. The vocals on Contents Of Distraction ease between strongly sung and wrenched screaming, all very powerful. Everything sways back and forth between the moody quiet parts and then erupts into noisier moments. Often, Desert City Soundtrack descends into a world of chaos...everything goes up in the air and explodes, like a fireworks finale. They can also be restrained though, with build ups to melodic outpourings. Contents Of Distraction is seriously good stuff, especially if you are into edgy post hardcore." - Collective

"I was all together unprepared for the aural onslaught Desert City Soundtrack would inflict upon me. Indie rock augmented by an amazing keyboardist, Desert City Soundtrack layers dense piano chords over a squawking Fender Mustang, paced by outstanding slowcore drumming, creating a hauntingly creepy and heretofore unexplored style of music." - Synthesis

"Desert City Soundtrack pours over the listener like maple syrup on an Eggo, with Matt Carillo's vocals soaring over low-end synthesizers and heavy guitar riffs while Caitlin Love absolutely pummels the drums with odd time-signatures and generous fills. The songs are morose and one can almost feel their pulse slow to a straight line. Desert City Soundtrack is like a car crash that moves in slow motion, dousing the listener with a barrage of feedback and leaving them in utter disarray." - Orion

"Quite literally the most achingly inspired piece of melancholia I've had to pleasure of hearing all year." - Losing Today

"Desert City Soundtrack is so confessional it hurts. Seeing the band is like watching a car wreck or reading someone else's diary; You know you shouldn't, but you're mesmerized by the drama. This densely atmospheric, piano-flavored indie rock is the perfect soundtrack to your own emotional deconstruction." - Willamette Week