If there were a Mount Rushmore of the men and women who have been most influential or successful in American film, Clint Eastwood would undoubtably have his mug etched in the stone. From signature lines in his cowboy movies to branching out on roles he made into his own, to becoming a wonderful producer, director, and writer, Eastwood has been around longer than most of our parents have been alive. Sadly, however, this review for Sparks the Rescue's second full-length album Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With, won't compare the band's versatility and inventiveness to Eastwood's sterling film reprtoire. Instead, Worst Thing can be closely examined using Eastwood's (possibly) defining film, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
I'm not sure which one I should start with when describing Worst Thing, so I think I'll just start with the "ugly" and get it out the way. There are times where Sparks the Rescue get inexplicably strange. Fellow Maine resident and rapper (yes, rapper) Spose makes an appearance on "Better Side of Me," taking the song from bad to horrible as soon as he begins his verse. There are times when singer Alex Roy gets flat-out lazy with his lyrics, and they come off as if a grade school student was brought in to write with the band. Sure "bow" (like, the bow you tie on a present) and "chateau" rhyme, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to write a song where you couple the two together ("Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With"), and that may not be worst example on the album. In addition, "Holiday" is essentially a re-hash of one of the band's best tracks "Hello Mexico" from their debut Eyes to the Sun, and we all know the sequel never lives up to the original.
The "bad" and "ugly" kind of ran together, so I'll go right into the good. While his lyrics are suspect at times, it appears Alex Roy was born to write catchy songs. His choruses were the shining point of Eyes to the Sun, and Roy continues that trend as songs like "Postcard of a Tidal Wave" and "The Weirdest Way" contain soaring choruses that outshine sometimes struggling verses, turning otherwise mediocre songs into memorable ones. Eyes to the Sun was great right off the bat with opener "My Heart Radio," and the band deliver again on Worst Thing's opening track "Saturday Skin," whose lyrics see Roy portraying himself as the villain who broke a girls confidence in herself after a night full of lust. "60 Minutes of Fame" was, according to the band, a last-minute addition to the final tracklisting, and a welcome addition at that, as it finds Roy lusting after someone he doesn't think he can get. Relationships are essentially the "theme" of Worst Thing, and Roy is at his best on the album in his songs about heartbreak. "She's a Bitch, and I'm a Fool" is by far the best song on the album, featuring the band's best chorus to date, while "The Weirdest Way" is a present day, almost emo version of Clay Aiken's "Invisible" (that's a good thing, I can assure you). The band behind Roy shine as well, as guitarists Toby McCallister and Mike Naran shine on almost every track, as the solos Naran adds are a welcome addition to the band's now-developing pop-rock sound. The band appear rely too hard on Naran's solos at times, but he does a great job in getting creative with them, and Worst Thing is worth a listen through just to hear how well Naran plays throughout the album.
While Eyes to the Sun was a great summer pop-punk album, Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With finds Sparks the Rescue making an attempt to make their sound bigger: the hooks are carefully placed, the guitar solos are present, and the band seem to be poised to make an attempt to become the next big thing. However, Worst Thing presents a series of growing pains for the band, and comes to prove that while they have the tools to become huge, they aren't quite ready yet. The album, as a whole, doesn't seem as inspired as Eyes to the Sun, but does have a few standout tracks (most notably "She's a Bitch, and I'm a Fool") that make up for the sometimes glaring missteps the band took.
The bottom line: Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With is another solid album for Sparks the Rescue to add to their discography, though it doesn't live up to Eyes to the Sun. The album is very hit-or-miss, but the four or five standout tracks will line many an iPod this summer, and in years to come.
Recommended if you rock: Mayday Parade's Anywhere but Here, Every Avenue's Picture Perfect
No comments:
Post a Comment