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First thought when I popped in Crisis In Hollywood's new album
Safe And Sound? "Awesome... yet another pop punk band."
And that's pretty much what I found as I went through the album song
by song.
It took five songs before I really found one that stuck out - not
only different on the album, but distinctive enough from the current
market trends. "The Upside" starts off with a few brief
drum thrashes and a pretty perfect rock-style bass. The bass is so
low and gnarled that it makes the song as a whole stand on a new level,
one not previously heard. Naturally, the song does bust out its pop
tendencies in the chorus. Since I was already in love with the bass,
of course, my next favorite song came in "I'd Take A Gator Over
A Snapping Turtle Anyday." The bass is so freakin' fast at the
beginning of this one that it literally made me type quicker. It's
got that same gnarl-ness, but this time it's almost like it challenges
the rest of the band to be just a bit darker. The guitar and vocals
actually seem to answer, 'We're angry and injected with Red Bull for
an entire 2:50' and I do mean INJECTED. Energy that rivals even some
of the most seasoned rock bands. "Can't Turn Around" is
a song that seems to morph the band into nearly a perfect alternative
band. That fabulous bass is still there and this time the guitars
join together to make mixture of precision note work and excellent
high-tempo rhythms. If you want just a basic rock song, I think you
should check out "Nobody Blames You." If you don't count
the fact that the vocals are rather higher pitched than most rock
songs, the rest of this song is fairly accurate for any head-banging
request. Everything is simplified down and no one really takes point,
but for a rock song that's what you'd want. You'd also want some big
strumming guitar playing, more focus on the percussion and lyrics
that are easily yelled. The album finishes off with "The Drinking
Song." Now being the age that I am, I had high hopes for this
song. I don't know what I was expecting, however. Regardless, this
is a pretty fun song. I really enjoy the guitar solo - one that surprisingly
doesn't seem to consist of specific notes, or if they are they are
in an old electronic style. The vocals are set nicely on top and because
of the lack of other instruments you finally get a chance to really
hear what he's saying. After about a minute, the other members put
in their 2 cents. The theme to this song sticks to the main theme
of pop punk: the pop at the beginning and the punk at the end. You're
going to be moshed out of this one.
Okay, so I had one opinion at the beginning and after having really
listened to the whole album, I have another. Yes, Crisis may be
another pop punk band, but I have to say they definitely do have
elements to them that will help them stick out amongst the rest.
For that, they get my vote.
-Rachel Fredrickson
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