SR-71

"Tomorrow" CD

RCA Records

Genres: alternative rock, pop-punk, hard rock

band website

Feb 10 - 16 2003

This is the type of album that belongs on mainstream radio.  It's the type of metal-influenced pop-punk stuff that the kids just die for.  While the songs are all very simple and lacking creativity, the seamless production and catchy melodies make for an album that is easy to relate to for those just looking for some music to jump around to at a school dance or party.

But it's still a shame that SR-71 couldn't have been more original with Tomorrow.  A song like "Hello Hello" is just drenched in hooks and hummable melodies, but the fact that it sounds as if it's just trying to play along with modern trends (can anyone actually differentiate between this and any other modern "alternative rock" band??) is unsettling.  Other tracks, like "Truth," use more of a heavy metal approach, with aggressive power riffs and guitar solos leading the way.  This calls to mind other bands like Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, whose fans will likely find a lot of value in Tomorrow.

Certain tracks fall under the banner of sensitive alternative rock - "The Best Is Yet To Come" is a good example.  Combining those kind of pseudo-whiny macho vocals with sorrowful pop-punk melodies and post-grunge-esque guitar riffs, the track comes off as something that would be played in the sad part of a teen romance movie.

Altogether, SR-71's Tomorrow may not be particularly fresh, but it has a goal in mind and sticks with it to the end.  Commercial success isn't implausible at all.

70%

Fun Fact: take their name from that of the fastest airplane ever built.  The SR-71 Blackbird can fly at speeds over 2000 miles per hour, at Mach 3.2.

Update! (Courtesy of Quintin):
The SR-71 is one of the fastest planes but there is in fact another plane that travels much faster than the blackbird. Built by North American Aviation the X-15 is not only the fastest winged aircraft ever built, it's also the highest flying. In testing it achieved a maximum speed of Mach 6.72 or 4,534 miles per hour! The maximum altitude for the aircraft was a massive 354,200 Feet! or 67.08 miles above sea level.
The X-15 First flew on June 8th 1959 and even though none remain flying, it still holds both altitude and airspeed records for a winged aircraft.

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 songs, distributed by Amazon, released 2002]