After four years of gaining experience and a respectable fan base in the KC/Lawrence area, Proudentall finally has released a full-length CD for mass consumption on the SunSeaSky label. What’s Happening Here has only left the portable CD player in my car en route to my home stereo, computer, or a friend’s CD player during the weeks I’ve had it in my possession. Proudentall’s first effort is that catchy.

The sound and intensity of the record is greater than the sum of its parts. While most of the album is energetic and angst-ridden rock, several moods, tempos, and dynamic levels are achieved throughout the ten tracks. Guitarist Matt Dunehoo and bassist Billy Ning trade off spoken words, singing, and yelling with Matt carrying most of the load (including harmonies on the album). Through the many dynamic fluctuations in each song, John Cruz is the definitive rock-solid drummer. Every hit is struck with authority and purpose; his fills are musical and tasteful, but never flashy or excessive.

Of the ten tracks, six are songs, two are instrumentals, and two are non-songs. Four of the songs (“Kill Myself,” “1002,” “Fader In/Out,” and “No Knowledge”) feature variations of Proudentall’s signature rhythmic hook — a snare hit followed by three notes of equal length. These songs don’t simply rock — they swing, too, and also happen to be my four favorites. They also feature some great beginnings and endings, key benchmarks of mature songwriting. While instrumentals aren’t for everybody, “Instrumental Like a Compass” and “Untitiled with Mike and Breeze” are worthwhile instrumentals. The former is a quick, high-octane piece, and the latter is moodier and features a violin and trombone.

The two non-songs, “Line Drawing Dead Winter” and “Winter Dead Drawing Line” are mirror images of each other with Matt whispering something indiscernible (even with the volume cranked) over some mellow guitar strums and trombone phrases. Placing shorter versions of these at the beginning and end of the CD or being able to hear and understand Matt would have greatly increased my own appreciation for these. But I seldom listen to a full-length album without reaching for the skip button two times or less anyway (I have always skipped two or more songs on my own band’s album, actually). What’s happening Here is one of the strongest local CD’s I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing.

With all the allure that emo has these days finding an indie band untouched by the post-hardcore hand isn’t easy, especially when it deals with a moodier style and darker themes. In fact, it can get downright frustrating trying to locate a band free from emo fashions.

Proudentall should help alleviate some of those headaches. With stark, gloomy songs that lurk in the sub-basements of despair, Proudentall delivers a weighty record without resorting to emo tricks to get its point across on What’s Happening Here. Neither as dreary as the angular world of post-hardcore nor as predictable as mopey indie-rock, Proudentall cuts through its low key numbers without a hint of the regret that ties its songs together.

At times the band’s sheets of crunchy guitar and jangly melodics allude to emo’s most abused tools, though most of the band’s similarities arise from sharing an era rather than songwriting goals with post-hardcore. While there’s moments when the buzzing guitars nearly fall into cyclical holding patterns, Proudentall keeps its focus on traditional songwriting instead of pushing its songs’ tempos through wild pendulum swings. Though songs like "No Knowledge" feature dynamics slightly more convoluted than the average rock song, they have more in common with Nirvana’s rise/fall tempos than post-hardcore numbers. Other songs, like "Line Drawing Dead Winter," find the band wallowing in low-key murk, playing around with longing horn melodies, a maneuver that shows the band holds more depth than just simple rocking numbers.

The most striking difference that separates Proudentall from emo/indie types is its vocal tracks. Rather than utilizing the trademark emo whine, singer Matt Dunehoo finds power in his delivery. With a warm and full-bodied voice that sounds faintly like the Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, Dunehoo pumps a sense of foreboding into this album. Whether chanting mantra-like in "No Knowledge," or barking orders like a deranged drill sergeant in "1002," Dunehoo’s delivery provides What’s Happening Here with a creepy feel.

Though the band’s experiments in slower numbers prove just as grating as they do interesting, Proudentall still wins points for its efforts in breaking away from the crowd. Though still not 100 percent original, the band’s work does deliver a break from the usual emo-chasing prissies.

I like Proudentall! I liked them the minute I spun up their disc. They have a sophisticated, mature sound that belies their relative obscurity. In many ways they remind me of Jawbox. They play thinking man's hard rock. It's not just loud and crunchy, it's texturally varied and dynamic and capable of subtle emotional manipulation. The best song on the disc is "1002". It's so impassioned that allegations of emocore will surely start to fly. It's also an impeccably written song. A quick tempo keeps it moving and stark dynamic contrasts add even more momentum. It places sections of almost brainy pointillism (Rush-like) against pathos-ridden waves of guitar and vocal fury. The chorus is the hook for me. After a suitable build-up, with almost feral frenzy, the lead vocalist screams "Push me out of your life!" as an angry hell of guitars and drums breaks loose behind him. The song ends abruptly with an anguished "Get out! Get out!" To be able to so aptly communicate emotion through music is a marvelous thing. I look forward to more from Proudentall.

Almost a year ago, my erstwhile colleague, the illustrious Noah Wane, reviewed this fine debut by these up-and-coming Kansas rock gods. Originally released on SunSeaSky, What’s Happening Here will soon be re-released by the band’s current home, Caulfield Records. Rather than step on an elder statesman’s toes, I will simply say that What’s Happening Here is a dandy little rock ‘n roll record which alternates effortlessly between sweat-soaked guitar rave-ups and moments of introspective solitude. Watch for these kids to roll into a town near you this summer, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and find a copy of What’s Happening Here. You won’t be sorry, we (Noah and I) promise.

Proudentall is a jarring outfit from Kansas whose latest release is a swirling mix of indie rock sensibilities and hard rock melodies with a disjointedness about it that makes this outfit impervious to classification. The closest thing to contrast these guys may be At The Drive In, but they seem to have more control than that, almost in a Radiohead kind of way ("1002"). Decisively heavy but not tasking on the ears, this band is much more deep than your average rock group, and they utilize stellar compositions to showcase this ("Line Drawing Dead Winter," "Sharp Confessor"). For an avant garde walk through rock music, Proudentall is your best bet.

An unexpected mix of King Crimson-style progressive jams and Talking Heads-like new-wave tunes, What's Happening Here unveils several facets of Proudentall's personality. Three of the album's 10 tracks are instrumentals: One builds to a sweeping crescendo ("Instrumental Like a Coupon"), another slowly spreads out its decadence ("Live Drawing Dead Winter"), and finally an intricate and complex composition winds down countless melodic paths ("Breeze"). This leads into the album's closer, a mix of whispered vocals and dream-sequence jazz titled "Winter Dead Drawing Live." Of the new-wave numbers, the mildly funky "The Blood Race" is the most lively, while "Kill Myself" starts with an intricate guitar line, brings in a satisfying rush of noise, then recedes during the low-key chorus. Other than "1002," an otherwise enjoyable track marred by annoying spoken/sung vocals, these selections successfully meld together diverse elements. With What's Happening Here, Proudentall proves that it continues to mature while it delivers the hooks and adventurous instrumentation that has earned the band its solid reputation over the past four years.