The problem with most CD reviews is you only
get the opinion of the one critic doing the review. So we thought it might
be fun to try something new here by giving the exact same CD to two different
critics and see what they each come up with and just how much difference
a single critic's opinion can make.
This time around Rachael Rearden and Scott
Slapp give us their impressions of the debut album from The Beautiful Mistake.
Note: due to the nature of this series, the reviews
may tend to be more in the first person than you are used to with music
criticism.
The
Beautiful Mistake - Light A Match For I Deserve To Burn
Label: Militia
Group
Tracks:
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On Building
-
Stabbing Backwards
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Stavesail
-
Circular Parade
-
Silence
-
Light A Match
-
Anonymous Vs. California
-
Lancaster, PA
-
Narnian Analogy
-
For A Friend
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First up Rachael Rearden gives
us her review of this disc.
The Californian emo rock band, the beautiful
mistake, are back with their debut album “Light A Match For I Deserve To
Burn”, following the release of their first EP “December” in July 2001.
Signed to the militia group, and now with
a new member line up of Jon Berdtso n on bass and Armin Chami claiming
drums, the band have been touring the U.S. since the 18th October
and will continue until the 13th December. Busy promoting their new album,
the beautiful mistake, completed by Shawn Grover and Josh Hagquist, both
on vocal and guitar duties, give us some loud emo rock.
Released earlier this September, “light
a match” gives a mix of both mellow and hard emo combined, rock, and pop
punk. Following the age-old technique of starting off with a pleasant slow
beat and pretty little voice, then kicking in with loud catchy riffs and
screams that could put Corey Taylor back working in a porn shop, The Beautiful
Mistake are predictable. Sure, The Beautiful Mistake aren’t a bad band,
if perhaps you’re looking for a rockier Jimmy Eat World. “Light a match”
has some good songs. “For a friend” is predictable yes, but still manages
to catch your attention and get you tapping along, on the nearest object
to you. This is quite possibly the pick of the crop from “Light a match”,
opting for this, rather than maybe “Lancaster PA” which has a bizarre hint
of The Pet Shop Boys.
After about song three, I stop trying to
slit my wrists with a floppy disk I found next to my computer, and realize
what is making me so sodding depressed. Unlike fellow emo band Jimmy eat
world, The Beautiful Mistake cannot pull off the token ‘pretty mellow voice’
that all emo bands employ, and instead offer a whining, repetitive excuse
of a voice which feels like a itch you cant scratch. Whether this voice
is Grover or Hagquist, I didn’t wish to know at the time, as I stopped
listening and went for a “break”. If you want to sit in the corner
of your room in tears, wondering why you’re having a nervous break down
at the age of 13, whack The Beautiful Mistake on. If, however, you
want some good music, don’t bother.
Now we hear from Scott Slapp and what
he thought of this CD.
(When I wrote the review that follows,
I had not yet read my fellow anti-scrib, Rachael’s review. Now that I have,
I must interject that to my ears The Beautiful Mistake didn’t come off
as an “emo” band. I can see if you listen from that perspective, you might
be disappointed or disillusioned, but I don’t think that was what they
were going for. So I had a much more positive take on this CD)
With one listen to The Beautiful Mistake’s
“Light A Match,” the title track to their Militia Group debut, “Light A
Match For I Deserve To Burn,” I was hooked on their infectious post-grunge
powerpop with hardcore flavoring. Don’t mistake these dudes for your run
of the mill punk-pop band, they bang it out with heavy guitars, righteous
melodies, full bodied harmonies and give things a harder edge by mixing
up the vocals from the standard pop-punkish faire to hardcore growls.
That may scare your little sister away, when they pump things up to full
roar but this isn’t a band that aims to be in Tiger Beat Magazine.
Hooks? These dudes know their business!
With most of the songs they kick things off with larger than life vocals
and rock you with ample drum fills and plenty of raunchy distorted guitars.
Even when they mellow out for the “must have” power ballad, “Circular Parade”
they play it off well, getting you with the middle of the road rock intro
and then slam you with hardcore in the verses but then invade Oasis’ turf
with the chorus. Gotta love that!
I know these dudes may not be for everyone,
but you should give them half a chance to win you over. They produced a
rather skillful debut that should keep you rockin’ for a bit.
Listen
to samples and Purchase this CD online
Visit
the official site for more information on this CD and the band
About the reviewers:
Scott Slapp is a
feature writer for antiMUSIC and the iconoFAN network.
Rachael Rearden is
a UK music journalist and a feature writer for the iconoFAN Network
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