Much like their last record this is semi poppy punk rock from two girls and one guy whose sound reminds me of a few different bands, but for some damn reason I can never peg down who it is they make me think of. It's pretty basic chord progressions, some backup shouts against monotone dual lead singing, average length songs that never top three minutes, etc. There's not a great deal of variety here, most of the songs have a similar structure and sound to them, and not that many of them really stand out as being particularly memorable per se, which is probably the chief shortcoming of the CD. "Move On" has more of a driving bass rhythm and mixes acoustic guitars in with lightly distorted guitars and some "whoa ohhh" backing vocals and definitely wins me over though. And then the aptly titled "Firecracker" has much more of a rock feel, which they should probably employ more often. They close with a cover of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "Do You Wanna Touch", but it's a little slow and lacks punch somehow, I don't know... The recording is solid but needs something more, maybe. No, I take that back. The dryness and simplicity of the recording fits their style and works well, especially because the mix is really balanced. What this needs is a more energetic vocal performance, because the singing is a little plain and one-sided, which gets a little tiresome sometimes. I'm not that big on the slight ruggedness of the quick little melodic lead lines either, but that's no big deal I guess. The layout looks pretty good. The artwork kind of has the feel of illustrations to a children's book (not in a bad way, though) and then there are some black and white band photos and lyrics inside, all with a consistent appearance. The lyrics are personal and deal with relationships and stuff, so it's sort of a could be better, could be worse situation there. This is pretty good, not great, but okay. It's very similar to their last record and they still haven't won me over, but I can enjoy it for the most part.
[Lorelei]
Running time - 25:09, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Move On, Firecracker]
Lorelei Records - http://www.loreleirecords.com
