 Chain
Poets
Self-Titled CD
Garageband
Records
Genres: post-grunge, punk, alternative rock
e-mail the
band
Sep 16 - 22 2002 |
You
have heard music like that of The Chain Poets before. You've
heard it on the radio, you've heard it playing in trendy stores, you
may have even heard it coming from the music in your own collection.
It's got elements of punk, it's got elements of grunge, it's got
elements of alternative rock. It's that stuff that people call
"post-grunge." And while you may be getting somewhat tired
of all the crap that's being spewing out of the genre recently, it's
always nice to hear it being done well. Thankfully, The Chain Poets
know what they're doing, and this, their self-titled debut, is bound
to satisfy your pop-hook cravings.
While some songs here don't quite work, the band's
songwriter/guitarist, Greg Kaegen, has done a pretty good job.
Songs like "Answerless" and "Too Bad" are
powerful, fun rockers that are sure to get your head bobbing along.
Meanwhile, "Dial 9" succeeds as an enjoyable, light-hearted
power pop number with an unbelievably infectious chorus. And then
there's the band's experiments, which work surprisingly well.
"Sweet Dreams," for example, lays Kaegen's vocals
over an old-fashioned cabaret-esque instrumentation, complete with
organ and vibraphone! While this concept wasn't exploited as well as
it could have been, it still remains enjoyable and catchy. And then
there's "Spleen," another one of the band's conceptual
pieces. It starts off as a simple voice-and-guitar song, but is then
enhanced with orchestral strings and a mellotron - to great effect.
Unlike "Sweet Dreams", "Spleen" is done amazingly
well, and the band proves that they can add some innovation into a
relatively stale genre.
While The Chain Poets may not be the best new band out
there, and they certainly aren't creating music of the best genre,
they do manage to spice things up a bit. If you're looking for some
catchy power-pop-influenced post-grunge, this album won't disappoint -
but don't expect anything phenomenal.
78%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
55 min 50 sec; 13 tracks; distributed by CD
Baby;
released 2001] |
