A Static Lullaby "Faso Latido" CD
[Columbia]
After an annoying minute-long intro of stringed instrument noises and such these kids launch into a record that's a shitload better than their debut, so a few years of growing time and a major label budget seem to have helped them nicely, as I had hoped.  They're still dealing with a contemporary emo/screamo blend of singing and screaming over melodic riffing and some caustic guitar parts, but despite minor faults that still linger they're infinitely better songwriters these days.  Are they any more original?  No, not really, you could still compare them to plenty of their contemporaries, but fuck if I care... and I'd argue that these guys are definitely pushing to be more interesting with how they put their riffs together.  Plus "Stand Up" is so fucking catchy and the chorus is god damn perfect, a no-brainer lead single if ever I've heard one, so any band that can deliver songs like that gets the green light from me, I don't care if it's a pretty tried and true style at this point.  If nothing else the screaming sounds more efficient, the singing is stronger, and the songwriting is more mature.  There's a ton of energy to the pop-punk inspired riffing in songs like "Radio Flyer's Last Journey", but they're all over the place and end up hitting on everything from jarring post-hardcore textures to dry indie runs or spacey effects and lush melodies, so even the most straightforward and catchy songs are a little less basic under the surface.  In "Half Man, Half Shark; Equals One Complete Gentleman" the rhythm section plays a little more of a role and they also employ some beautiful vocal harmonies and thick chord progressions that are a bit more rocked out; "Calmer Than You Are" has some interesting riffs that are much chunkier and more metallic, and the curious use of piano really thickens things up a lot; "God Bless You (Goddamn It)" has some funky bass work and guitar effects happening... there's just a lot of shit tossed around all over this thing.  It's weird, because at a cursory listen this is pretty typical, but if you listen closely these cats have much more happening on a musical level.  It's not necessarily technical, but it's pretty intricately woven.  The record's definitely too long, regardless of what it offers, and it's a twofold problem in that 13 tracks is simply too many songs for a band of this ilk, but furthermore a number of the songs that creep up on five minutes or more tend to lose steam in a few areas, so trimming the fat could make for more concise and punchy compositions.  For example, the noisy screaming and shit during the intro of "Marilyn Monrobot" is incredibly irritating, but the rest of the song's actually the catchiest glimmer on the second half of the disc.  It's no big deal though, there are no bad songs, there are just songs that lack the color and immediacy of the stronger cuts.  Of course the recording's pretty damn slick.  The only gripe I'd cite is that the vocals lean out front a little too much, but if the guitars were barely brighter that would settle things perfectly.  Everything else sounds fine.  The rhythm section is crisp and resonant, the textures are all clear and balanced, etc.  You don't notice the vocals being a hint loud so much unless you listen in headphones, and I'm not bothered by that in the long run anyway.  It's a good record to listen to in headphones though, because there's a shitload of layering and a lot of the guitar parts are actually way more creative and detailed than you'd expect.  The bassist is great, too.  I'm also liking the layout for the most part.  That the inner pages are all in black and white is a bit of a let down, but the colorful outer imagery definitely grabs the attention and I actually really dig the minimalism of the back cover a lot.  Lyrics?  Ehhh.  Seen better, seen worse.  "Hold on tight this is bound to lose your grip, Take your ride we left the stone on the pedal, No time to be facetious we meant every word we said..."  There are some typical references to relationship stuff or whatever, not to mention their use of standard sarcastic song titles, but I'm not really concerned one way or the other.  I don't know, it sounds so silly to refer to bands as having "matured", but this is a blatant case where there's no more suitable word to use.  I'm not totally floored, but this is a great record that's light years ahead of their last effort, and if they continue on this path their next disc could be the one that really blows me away.  A good song is a good song, so... if you can overlook trends and genres and all that shit, I'd definitely say this is worth checking out.  I'd be tempted to give it an 8/10 if it didn't have several lulls where the overall force subsides.  Good work, though.  These dudes are going places. (7/10)
Running time - 50:41, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Stand Up, Radio Flyer's Last Journey, Half Man, Half Shark; Equals One Complete Gentleman, Marilyn Monrobot]
A Static Lullaby - http://www.astaticlullaby.com

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