  I’ll
be honest: Sometimes I really hate my job. Don’t get
me wrong, I love being able to pitch in my two cents every
week about whatever music happens to find its way across
my desk, but sometimes there are those albums that just fall
flat in every sense.
For a little bit of background, the hardworking folks over
at 90.5 WASU gave me a few CDs for review, which is how I
came to find out about the band Thistle.
I was immediately drawn to the album because at first glance
of the band’s logo and artwork, I thought it was the
new Thrice album. No such luck.
Anyhow, I pressed on. The teaser label on the front of the
album called “Tired Anchor” an album full of
“flowing guitar lines that build and explode into engulfing
walls of sound …”
I found none of that. What I did find was another run-of-the-mill
indie rock band. Nothing spectacular, yet nothing that was
unbearable.
What does all this mean to the reader who has no idea what
the heck I’m talking about?
Let me see if I can simplify all the elements that Thistle
has thrown into their collective pot. First off, take the
vocals of Connor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes. By that,
I mean mumble incoherently in a register just barely above
the music, only to start painfully wailing in an even more
incomprehensible manner at any given moment.
Musically, depending on the song, you could either borrow
elements from older Jimmy Eat World, Elliot, or for the more
rocking tunes (if my calculations are correct, there are
two out of the ten songs on the album), Rival Schools.
Not to label Thistle entirely unoriginal, but I must admit
that I found myself listening to the entire album thinking
“I’ve heard this somewhere before.”
Sadly, that’s the way most indie goes. If you’re
looking for another obscure band to get really into, check
out Thistle. Just don’t be surprised if you get musical
dj vu.
Hey, did you hear? Girls are evil! I know, I was shocked
too. But according to The Berlin Project, females will lie
and play games with us innocent guys. I never really thought
about it, but now everything makes perfect sense.
Let’s examine the evidence. Here’s a sample lyric
from the song “Pleasure to Burn:”
“I broke my phone/You broke my trust/ Wasn’t
even worth it/ Now your life gets hard/You let your looks
go down with your character/You let them go so far.”
Wow! I’ve never heard anything so poignant. Take that,
Newfound Glory!
So if you haven’t guessed yet, The Berlin Project is
an original infusion of pop/punk/emo/synth/rock. Honestly,
when it rocks, it rocks hard.
The guitars are reminiscent of the fast paced energy of Fenix
TX, and the vocals have a faint touch of Alkaline Trio’s
Matt Skiba.
My one request for the Berlin Project: for them to stop flirting
with synthesizers and make them a permanent fixture of their
music. The programming work of Billy Rossi makes this album
stand out a tad from their cookie-cutter genre.
The only way I can accurately convey just what the Berlin
Project serves up musically is this: You might hear them
on a sampler and be really impressed, but not enough to buy
their album. Later on down the road, you may see that they’re
opening up for your favorite band and go check it out. Let’s
say a year after that you see that they’re on their
own headlining tour. Chances are you’ll probably just
stay home.
Until The Berlin Project quit wallowing in the “girls
are evil” quagmire and realize their full potential
as musicians (and trust me, it’s there), “The
Things We Say” isn’t worth hearing.
|
