The April Skies
"How It All Played Out" CD
WIAB Records
Genre: mainstream rock, rock/pop,
alternative
July 30 2008 |
The April Skies play commercially
appropriate rock music reminiscent of late nineties alternative radio
acts like Matchbox 20 and Counting Crows. That means few
risks are taken, but the execution is fittingly tight and
professional. Most of How It All Played Out's songs have
entertaining hooks, and lead singer Jake Crawford's voice is
relatively effective if without guile. The main knock on this record
is its lack of creativity - its formulaic professionalism leaves it at
a loss for new ideas.
R.E.M.-esque "Shots" and Tragically
Hip clone "Always Never Finished" are exemplary moments on How
It All Played Out - well-produced, reasonably catchy rock songs
that do their job but don't quite engage the imagination. The tracks
with the most radio single potential are anthemic "X" and darker,
grungy "My Love is in This House," while unmemorable "The Weight"
could have been dropped and aforementioned "Always Never Finished"
might have benefited from a shorter duration. The April Skies
have the sound of a band that gets airplay on local rock stations and
maybe scores a minor hit on a more national level, and that is nothing
to shrug your shoulders at. Certainly, a lot of generic rock bands
come and go, but not all of them can put together a competent song.
And with that in mind, The April Skies can sleep comfortably
knowing they've assembled a competent collection of melodic rock
tunes. Still, one of these days they might want to try taking a few
risks!
the
april skies' myspace
71%
Fun Fact: The April
Skies share their name with a
Jesus and Mary Chain song.
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 9 tracks, 41:49, distributed by
the
label,
released 2006] |