After a long delay, everybody's favorite running article featuring brief opinions and critiques on recent albums by JPP's trusted music staff, is back. Though we're certainly surrounded by great new music here in 2010, we're still listening to some of the releases we failed to talk about in 2009. So this edition of CD Impressions will feature two reviews of albums that were released last year and a couple reviews of albums that were released in the last couple of months. Our featured reviews this time around are for versatile hard rock act VTT, punk rockers Title Fight, new indie rock band Common Prayer and the power pop group Dead Country.
Dead Country EP
Artist: Dead Country
Label: Storefront
Release Date: 4/15/10
3 out of 10
It’s hard not to judge a band by appearance sometimes. Los Angeles’ Dead Country may fool you upon first impression. The artwork for their debut EP is stylish, the photo of the band found on the inside flap of the CD case makes the group out to be somewhat normal looking musicians (or they’re at least dressed in a more sophisticated manner than your average power pop band), and their sound seems both glossy and well produced. The actual substance of Dead Country’s EP though is so far, after a few listens, still yet to be found by me. Across the EP’s four songs, we are given little more than early ‘00s emo leftovers sung by a generic vocalist with an aptly poor ability to properly enunciate many of the words he sings. The lack of originality or depth is what stands out most on this EP, not the shiny, Studio 606 produced polish. It’s like getting an expensive paint job on a car that doesn’t run. On the EP’s final track, “Sea Change,” the band seems as if they’re going to give the listener something original, or at least interesting. The song begins with monotonous strumming on an electric guitar, but vocalist Nick Long allows his voice to actually hold the song together as he ironically sings “I was waiting for the sea to change, but inspiration is for amateurs.” The song then seems like it’s going to settle into an interesting, shimmering slower paced track but instead it violently turns to slush as the guitars get loud and repetitive and the drum beat slides into mindless pounding. Dead Country may seem like a band worth giving a chance upon first glance, but stick around and you’ll learn that style over substance isn’t good in any genre of music. (Tyler Barlass)
The Last Thing You Forget
Artist: Title Fight
Label: Run For Cover
Release Date: 7/21/09
8 out of 10
Coming out of Kingston, Pennsylvania, Title Fight is packing a punch. On their newest album The Last Thing You Forget, the band proves that genuine music is still alive. Combining raw vocals with driving musicianship, the album pushes and pushes through its duration, never losing any steam. It’s really quite an accomplishment, and may be one of the best of last year. There’s still a few draw backs though - mainly the shorter length of the album as a whole, and the repetitious nature of some of the songs. Although these problems hold the record back slightly, in reality all they are, are growth marks. Title Fight hasn’t yet hit their best years, and The Last Thing You Forget isn’t necessarily a classic album – but it is a great listen, it is worth your money, and perhaps most importantly, it shows the signs that something great is about to happen. (Nick Weingartner)
Symptoms of Sin
Artist: VTT
Label: Self Released
Release Date: 10/10/09
4 out of 10
If you’re looking for inventive riffs, highly technical guitar solos and thought provoking song structures in your hard rock music, VTT is probably not the band for you. On the band’s latest effort, Symptoms of Sin, this New Jersey metal act doesn’t do anything to really wow anybody, but there are some tunes that are definitely interesting enough to warrant repeated listens. Songs like the acoustic laced “Light Divided” and the techno influenced “Never Died Before” are solid tracks but certainly aren’t great examples of what’s to come on the disc. The few highlights on the album are placed in contrast to the band’s otherwise monotonous sound. The experimentation of non-metal sounds mixed with traditional hard rock music is refreshing, but when the band resorts back to the basics like they do on the majority of the disc, they tend to commit one of the chief sins of metal music - they become predictable and boring. Having to sit through overused double bass pedal, tiresome guitar riffs and embarrassing growls just to get to the handful of decent songs located on the album is not a real pleasurable experience. VTT may have the chops to put together a more cohesive and well rounded album in the future, but one thing is for sure, Symptoms of Sin isn’t it. (Tyler Barlass)
There Is A Mountain
Artist: Common Prayer
Label: South Cherry Enthropy
Release Date: 6/01/10
9 out of 10
With the creation of a new musical adventure, Jason Russo leads a new band of musicians called Common Prayer. The first album from this new Brooklyn based band’s repertoire is titled There is a Mountain, and it is a skillfully created first release. There is a Mountain starts off with a self titled song which sets the rest of the album up quite well. Straying a bit from the shoegaze roots of Russo's former group Hopewell, Common Prayer incorporates a variety of indie folk music that would make fans from Bon Iver to The Decemberists listen with a smile. With the addition of female vocals on some songs, such as "The Marriage Song," the band blend and meshes ear pleasing experiences lead by frontman Russo. Soaring harmonies, strong beats, and somewhat comical lyrics at times bring the listener through stories of life at some of its more interesting moments. With an arsenal of instruments at their fingertips, Common Prayer creates an atmosphere that leads the listener on a joy ride that keeps them coming back for more. "The Song Of Saints" is a call back to more of a classic rock feel, with the driving organ background and the mellow drum patterns keeping the pace up. "Us vs. Them" is the quintessential song for all the Bonnie and Clyde’s of the world, featuring some classic British rock sounds reminiscent of the early days of Pink Floyd. The album plays out nicely for this rising band and has a great replay value. All in all, There is a Mountain is a well pieced work creatively orchestrated by Russo and his fellow band members. (Jeff Yates)
