| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 8 |
| Interest | 9 |
| Melody | 8 |
| Performance | 9 |
| Lyrics | 0 |
| Enjoyment | 8 |
| Recording Quality | 9 |
| Commercial Appeal | 7 |
| Overall | 8.3 |
This track instantly grabs your attention with the short drum fill followed immediately by a catchy brass hook which, whilst perhaps ever so slightly loud in the mix, promises that this is going to be a track worth listening to. You can also instantly hear that this project has been recorded very well and a lot of time has been spent on getting it to sound proper. Personally speaking, I'd like to have hear the track a touch more bright in the top end with the kick drum brought forward in the mix and eq'd so that it knocks your teeth out, but that's just my own personal opinion. Although the song does have a lot of energy, I reckon it would also benefit from a touch more snare drum to drive the beast forwards.
All of the instruments are performed particularly well with extra kudos being handed out to the drummer for his efforts. Again, this is another reason why in my mind, the drums should be slightly more prominent. Brass, guitar, bass and vocals are all certainly more than competent which I found quite pleasing. It's nice to hear a band that don't have an achilles heel and that aren't carrying a slightly less talented passenger for once.
Vocally, the delivery is very confident, from what I could hear in the lyrics, they sound clever enough and well thought out, but since there are no lyrics posted with the track, I opted not to add a rating for them in case I had misheard any words.
Bass and drums work together like a proper rhythm section, which I found to be a breath of fresh air. Normally with unsigned bands, the rhythm sectin wander off and do their own thing, but it's obvious that these two fellows have a good feel for each other. (Oo-er missus!)
I found this to be a particularly interesting piece of music. The changes in dynamics, stabs and tacets never ever let the listener get bored or allow him to predict what's going to happen next. Add into that the clever variations of the guitarist's part in this and you have a constantly changing soundscape which keeps your ears and mind busy.
The time signature change from 4/4 into what felt like 6/8 to me at around the 2:30 was absolutely spot on. A very effective dynamic icing on an already sweet cake. Even the build up to get back into 4/4 was what can only be described as enlightened.
Melodically, there's really nothing to complain about either. Decent melody for the chorus, more than acceptable for the verse. I would suggest perhaps contrasting vocals within the chorus to fill it out a bit, but again that comes down to personal tastes. The chorus melody is already lodged firmly in my head (although that may be because I've listened to it seven times on the trot) and I can imagine myself whistling the chorus as I clean my windows. Because this track passes my "whistling whikst cleaning the windows" test, I have to admit that it is very commercially viable. It wouldn't sound out of place on MTV, VH1 or any other similar music tv channel, nor would it sound out of place if played on the radio. Would I buy it myself though? Serpently.
So to sum up my thoughts on this one. This is a good track which reminded me of bands such as Two Tribes and White Trash more than the expected Fishbone and Red Hot Chili Peppers copy that I was expecting. I'd be more than willing to part with some dough to buy this, although I'd still moan about the drums being too quiet every time I heard it. ;)
An excellent piece of work which, whilst still slightly unpolished to my ears, still shines like a new penny in a sewer.
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