Burn the 8 Track "The Ocean" CD
[Abacus]
The first time I listened to this Canadian act I was sort of 50/50 on this disc. I liked it, but I was bothered by the vocals, and some of the music was rubbing me the wrong way too, as it can border on a form of radio friendly rock that I tend to not get into. But now I definitely like it. I don't know, I guess it needed a little growing time or something. I'm not blown away or anything, but it's definitely something I can enjoy. Their style revolves largely around a linear form of post-hardcore focused more on rhythm and subtly angular layering, with a little bit of rock and emo/indie flare. The vocals are straight singing with the occasional harmony, and the guy's voice often reminds me of Dave Smalley's earlier work with Dag Nasty, but perhaps not quite as catchy, and slightly cleaner. The actual songwriting gets a little poppy/catchy on occasion, and the vocals have their memorable moments (mainly when some of the harmonies kick in), but overall I don't get a big mainstream vibe or anything from this, granted I'm sure the band could break into that on some level. Sometimes the vocalist tries to get a little high out of his range (the end of the title track, for example), and I would strongly recommend against that as it definitely brings on a few flinches, but other than that I'm rarely perturbed by any of the writing elements. Probably midway through the record I tend to start realizing that the writing is a little bit one-sided and the songs don't always distinguish themselves from one another, and that's the main (minor) setback that's sort of keeping this from winning me over 100%, despite the fact that it has grown on me. And hell, there are some damn catchy songs here ("My Own Flag", anyone?). I do really appreciate the sound quality. The rhythm section sounds phenomenal and I love the way the bass interacts with everything, the guitars sound thick and lush and always have the proper tone for what it is they're trying to achieve through either layering or minimalism, and the vocals are focal without being too dominant. I think the vocals could be a little brighter or more vibrant (still without leaning too far to the front) to add to the overall impact, but it sounds great in large part. I fucking love the layout on this thing. Everything is very consistent, using nothing but crystal clear text, bold photographs, clean arrangements, and lots of bright white borders and space. It's simple but highly effective and striking. The lyrics range from the personal to the political, and are written in sort of a flowing manner that tends to work well most of the time. "Hold tomorrow I'm not quite prepared stop the moment and redefine we are free we're alive undermined by this world of greed a world of lies we are free alive take this fortune turn back the clock of my existence watch it passing by watch it pass redefine..." This is pretty good. Some of it I'm thoroughly into, some of it I have to pass on, but I'll be watching these guys down the road. Definitely worth checking out for fans of later Shades Apart, Dag Nasty (but quirkier), and that sort of thing. This is not as good as those bands, and the associations are loose, but I think true music fans will understand what I mean. (7/10)
Running time - 44:30, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: In Full Return, The Voices, My Own Flag]
Abacus Recordings - http://www.abacusrecordings.com

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