Bleach "Astronomy (The Legacy of a Hero)" CD
[Tooth & Nail]
Indie rock that's heavy on the rock from Nashville. I could go either way on this. Aspects I like, but then again it's really nothing stellar. I like the singing because it's straightforward with strong harmonies and no whining, and the recording is great - everything sounds awesome and I have no complaints. But the songwriting is lacking. Nothing is all that memorable or catchy, the uses of keyboards feel like a novelty act to me, there's no real purpose and I feel like they're doing it just because that's the hot new thing now. Honestly they're much better at laidback tracks like "Jaded Now" with its acoustic guitars and string orchestrations creating a much darker and more interesting environment. The title track is similar, but a bit more "catchy" in a way, and these directions are definitely where the band should be headed... as they seem much more at home and powerful in these avenues rather than trying so hard to "rock out". When they try to be a little harder and such they just end up sound like a third-rate Weezer or something like that. I love most of the layout, the imagery is stark and the color scheme is minimal, the text is all compact and consistently arranged, etc. Very nice. I'm not sure why they decided to ruin an otherwise flawless layout with a couple of atrocious band photos replete with greasy hair, sloppy haircuts, and that "we want very badly to look like Oasis did back when they were hugely popular" sort of vibe, but whatever. I don't really identify with the lyrics, it's all personal material, and there's a story inside about the record being dedicated to a person close to the band who was killed in the ongoing war in Iraq, but it's good the lyrics don't necessarily directly correlate to that in a way that would alienate the listener. But in the end, this isn't half the record it could be. Were they to focus on their darker and more emotional side, I bet these cats could be incredible. But I'm not into the harder material. Their slower, softer side is a million times better... (5/10)
Running time - 39:47, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Jaded Now, Astronomy, Tired Heart]
Tooth & Nail Records - http://www.toothandnail.com

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