The Bottom Line
- Perfectly, professionally produced
- Strong, balanced guitar work
- Wailing vocals and angsty lyrics
- Almost too much polish
- "Have I heard this before?" feeling
- Wailing vocals and angsty lyrics
Description
- "Half Life": Bits of Collective Soul and Augustana morph into dramatic vocals over tinkling keys, wailing guitars & drum work
- "For God Sakes": Could easily be on the radio, and you'll likely find yourself singing the chorus without realizing it
- "If You Like It": Bright guitars walk on a steady bass and drum background walked on by bright guitars. Fine pop-rock hybrid.
- "If What You Mean Is Harm": Competent poppy rock ends in crashing reverb that fades out into dramatic plucked strings
Guide Review - Absentstar "Sea Trials"--Album Review
If you've been craving a hybrid between Interpol and Nickelback, look no further than Chicago's Absentstar. Every song on the band's new Sea Trials EP is radio-ready, complete with crashing choruses and emotive bridges. The lyrics deal largely in clichés and contradictions, from "Sleep in the bed I make" to "Falling on deaf ears" to "Cold on the warmest day." Just as being nonsensical doesn't mean being deep, wailing like Thom Yorke doesn't mean your band sounds like his. Absentstar have clearly hit on a solid formula for radio success, but--perhaps because they're still a new band--they don't dare deviate from the formula.
And that's the only problem with Sea Trials. There's not a terrible moment on the album, but there's not a triumphant one, either--no song makes you stand up and say "Wow." Perhaps the band simply chose the most polished songs for the EP, and the album itself has more adventurous moments, but the pervasive solidness of the record doesn't suggest a knack for experimentation. Not that there's anything wrong with that--sometimes you need a solid, consistently listenable band, and that's what Absentstar seem to be.
"If you like it, it'll like you back" is the chorus of "If You Like It," and that's true of most bands, especially Absentstar. If you give 'em a chance, they'll live up to your expectations with earnest effort. They might not blow you away, but they'll really really like you, and appreciate you liking them.