Ultimate Fakebook "Before We Spark" CD
[Initial]
According to the liner notes, this EP was recorded a long time ago, loosely inspired by the almighty "Flash Gordon" soundtrack (Queen) and the Beach Boys (post-"Pet Sounds"). But aside from a few handclaps, chimes, and layered vocal harmonies, that's gotta be a joke, because for the most part it's still the same upbeat emo/indie rock that I've heard from the band in the past. But I like this better than their last record. It still has a Weezer-ish ring to it at times, but the songs are catchier and more energetic. It's still not catchy and energetic enough, but I can listen to it. And I do think the band has a great sense of humor (song titles like "Record Release Party" and "Catch the Beat" are fairly amusing, I must say). Some of the tracks suffer from memorable choruses and boring surrounding filler, but there are a few winners, so... The Guarav F. Lal remix of "Inside Me, Inside You" is pretty boring, I could do without that, but whatever. The production is fine if you ask me. The drums are nice and natural, the guitars are open and ring through, the vocals are slightly out front, etc. I'd up the bass more in the center, but my complaints are pretty minor. Included as a CD-Rom bonus are two videos and two additional remixes of "Inside Me, Inside You" (in mp3 format). The video for the non-remix version of "Inside Me, Inside You" is totally pro, complete with performance footage, humorous little examples of rock antics like "rock squats" and "mic rotations", etc. I couldn't get the video for "When I'm With You, I'm OK" to play for some reason, but if the quality is equal to the other video, I'm surprised I've never seen them get airplay before. The mp3 remixes are okay, but nothing special. Mainly slightly noisier or more electronic versions of the original, keeping the vocals fairly intact. The layout is rather minimal. A brightly colored blurry photo on the cover, three band photos and liner notes inside, tracklist on the back, etc. That's it. No lyrics or anything. I can listen to this band, but they always fall short of my hopes. (6/10)
Running time - 23:18, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Rotting on the Vine, Record Release Party]
Initial Records - http://www.initialrecords.com

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