PlayRadioPlay -- 'Texas' [review]

PlayRadioPlay! - Texas
Island Records (03/18/08)
Pop / Rock / Alternative / Electronic

PlayRadioPlay! falls into that genre of music that merges hook-filled, pop-ish, alternative music (say, mellower Saves the Day or maybe Straylight Run) with a decidedly electronic background of beats and melody, to create this mish-mash of music that is as much about atmosphere and experience as it is about content (think Idiot Pilot or Postal Service and the like).

The results are pretty enjoyable. Not completely outstanding, but enough to hook you in and entertain. The melodies are simple and catchy, the lyrics are just quirky enough that you’re captivated without rolling your eyes and the vocals are actually the high point of the entire package. Daniel Hunter, who alone initially made up the band—though he has put together a full band for touring, and I did notice, I believe, a female vox in a couple of spots on the album—oozes this faux innocence in his delivery, but is commanding enough to drive each song on the strength of his vocals, meshing with the music.

Idiot Pilot -- 'Wolves' [review]

Idiot Pilot - Wolves
Reprise Records (02/12/08)
Rock / Alternative / Experimental

Idiot Pilot follows in the steps of bands willing to put together musical landscapes and experiences instead of just making songs (think mid-career Radiohead, Postal Service or certain elements of Sparta). It’s great for fans who love albums instead of singles. But Idiot Pilot seems to be able to take the foundation of such an approach and still put together killer stand-alone tracks at the same time (like the rocking opener "Last Chance").

The band bends this alternative-rock approach around synthesizers and ambient (electronic) noise and programming. The vocals are reminiscent of the above-mentioned acts with a couple of screams thrown in for good measure here and there. That pretty much sums up every song on Wolves. The band switches everything up more than enough that the approach never becomes predictable or boring.

The entire album pulls elements from notable acts like Sunny Day Real Estate, The Cure, Deftones, Sparta and numerous others, yet manages to find its own place among the mix. Take a song like "Good Luck", which one minute can have this machine-gunning attack of drums give way to rudimentary electronic beats, which in turn gives way to a soaring melody.

Upon first listen, I wanted to hate this album. I wanted to write a review that basically said "been there, done that." But with each listen a new layer gets peeled away. Sure, there’s some forgettable moments sprinkled in there (especially in a couple of the later songs), but taken as a whole this is a pretty good album that creates an enjoyable atmosphere and manages to cover a broad range of spectrums without getting caught up in itself.

Seven Mary Three -- 'Day&Nightdriving' [review]

Seven Mary Three - Day&Nightdriving
Bellum Records (02/19/08)
Rock / Alternative

"Remember you said you'd rather be scared then bored to death with one another / You’d rather be broke and trying than sit still dying"
—From "Break the Spell"

It's never easy to feel like you are constantly being measured against your first big hit. Such may have been the case for Seven Mary Three. The band's first hit, "Cumbersome", still finds its way into many rock radio playlists to this day. But it was never an adequate representation of what the band had to offer. So, rather than re-writing the same album over and over, the band chose its own road, and in the process crafted some of the most criminally overlooked albums of the last decade. And like each album that preceded it, the band’s latest, Day& Nightdriving is chock-full of great rock music.

Sure, the blistering opener "Last Kiss" might not match the ferocity and emotion of, say, "Water's Edge" or "My My" (both off the band's debut, American Standard), and the melancholic appeal of "Hammer & a Stone" or "She Wants Results" doesn’t quite measure up to "Lucky" or "Make Up Your Mind" (off Rock Crown), but all are a solid addition to the band's catalogue.