At the only concert I've seen by this band - as detailed in my review - this lady came up to me while I was outside the concert hall and spoke softly: "you are coming to see this band aren't you?" - I nodded - "they're the best band around" - I smiled. I did, indeed, attend the concert - and saw that it was good. Days later the band e mailed me: "do you want to review our album?" - I smiled - I replied "of course" - so they sent it to me. Good? Better than good - way better than good!!!
For a start, the production is just top notch. The odd part here is that there are 14 songs - odd in the sense that all 14 (well, 12 and a half - lord knows what the producer was on when they did track 13!!) are up to the standards set by this band for their performance, but a case of "too much of a good thing". Although of a quality all round that is quite superb, listening to all 14 in one sitting, does become a tall order. But that's a situation most bands would die to have, so I guess they can't feel too bad me saying that.
So, onto the songs themselves - a quintet of two guitarists, bassist, drummer and lead vocalist, we have the obvious question you're going to ask - "what's the style?" - the surprising answer being that it's a definite mix of indie and AOR rock. The album opens with "The Dealer" - the sound of churning guitar riff, throbbing bass, ringing lead guitar and choppy drums introcducing an impassioned vocal from singer Ross Milne who - and he's gonna kill me for this, but you just listen to it to see what I mean - is an absolutely riveting mix of Canadian rock legend Tom Cochrane.... and James Blunt!! As the track roars into life with a hook that's as infectious as the common cold, the band provide this huge depth of sound as the song stays short, sharp and to the point - as good an opener for this type of album, as they come. "Your Story" is similarly structured and sounding, only this time more dynamic, with the bass needle nearly in the red, and the addition of a massive chorus that sends the song into wholly extra dimensions as it blasts out, almost daring you to stay still as the desire to leap about the room with reckless abandon, takes hold. By now you're getting the strength of this band driven at you in no uncertain terms, one that is borne out of the collective force of a tight and solid set of individuals creating something that is immediate an yet long-lasting enjoyment. "Follow Yourself" introduces a funkier element to the rhythmic work while the Blunt-esque vocal is practically spat out over the cascades of guitars and riffs, choppy rhythms acting as propulsion and yet another biting gem of a song. After this intensity, "Sick Of Waiting" starts altogether slower on solitary chiming guitar and delicate percussion as the altogether more soulful vocal passion delivers the song with heartfelt depth, a whisky-soaked vocal veering between tension and restraint with effortless ease. Slowly, the song rises up as more guitars enter equally slowly, the bass runs along underneath but it all remains in "Canuck-rock" ballad-esque mode throughout. "Not Fooling Anyone" returns the pace only this time a lot more urgent, as the vocal ranges from throaty holler to high-register howl, the solid bass taking centre stage as the chiming guitars charge down the back of the mix as dramatic drumming drives it all along, the song working well despite the absence of any obvious hook, but firmly in keeping with the feel so far as a sea of duelling guitars is allowed its brief moment before the song returns. "Happy Disaster" is another slice of impassioned urgency, here sounding a little more demo-y than the tracks so far, but its slight lack of expansiveness is made up for in a song that positively rolls along in solid fashion, the racing vocal tense as ever as the band plays it straight and a chorus provides the harmonic hook. "The Darkness", as the name implies, is quite dense and eerie, once again driven by rolling waves of booming bass and guitar, as the band erupts into a blaze of intensity and catchy vocal that carries the song on seas of verses and choruses that keeps you hooked to the driving and dynamic arrangement.
By now, you've had 7 cracking songs, and you're only half way through the album. Oddly enough, the title track is the one that didn't quite gel with me as much as the rest, hence the "half" mentioned earlier on, while the way the levels go up and down on "Drop A Stone" is quite off-putting. Of the other five tracks, "Freefall" is more of the same, while "Wasted Time" provides a neat glimpse to an almost country-rock-ish side of the band, whereas "Would You Do It" is indie-AOR of the highest emotional order."In Colour" is a slow power-ballad that is done well enough, but didn't really grab me as 12th track in, while the album ends on the slowly building splendours of "Take A Life", still strong with some great guitar work, trademark strong vocals and relatively restrained choppy rhythm section, the song never quite achieveing what you think it's going to do, but still sound for all that.
As a ten tracker, this is one solid gold winner of an album, in my humble opinion - as it stands, it's like having to force down a wondrous desert at the end of what has already been a sumptuous meal. But I guess, you can't argue with that.