Maroon 5 – It Wont Be Soon Before Long
Maroon 5 released their debut ‘Songs About Jane’ back in 2002, however it wasn’t until 2004 that the album really started to take off. 5 years on from the release of their album of break up anthems and their sound has developed to be a Jamiroquai meets Justin Timberlake affair. Done well and this would probably be a brilliant mix, however the band never quite manage to match the flair of either and have instead come up with an album of competent yet unmemorable offerings. Although at times an enjoyable listen, ‘It Wont Be Soon Before Long’ leaves you empty of any real lasting memories; and half hour on from listening to the album the chances are that you’ll have forgotten the majority of what you’ve just heard.
Although not the most memorable of albums, for the duration of the album it is predominantly a fairly enjoyable listen. In my eyes however; the definition of a great album is one that leaves a lasting impression on you, which of course this doesn’t. Having said this I mustn’t be too negative as the album does provide some entertainment and enjoyment, albeit soon forgotten. ‘Won’t Go Home Without You’ is reminiscent of ‘She Will Be Loved’ in its intro, but other than this initial buzz is devoid of what made that track such a standout single. ‘Can’t Stop’ and first single ‘Makes Me Wonder’ are promising tracks, however there is nothing particularly special about them. They are semi-catchy tracks that with time stop being catchy and in turn just become plain irritating. There is a distinct lack of imagination shown in this release with many of the tracks sounding identical to one another as is true of many bands of this sort.
With ‘Songs About Jane’, and in particular ‘She Will Be Loved’ the band stood out from the pack, however there is nothing that really does this for them here. Sure the album is enjoyable and to an extent it is interesting, but the interest provided here is not enough to make you keep wanting to go back to the album meaning it will soon be neglected to a life of acquiring dust. I fear that ‘It Wont Be Soon Before Long’ shows a strong sign of sophomore slump syndrome, with their second release showing a distinct lack of musical progression.
Having taken 5 years to release another album, you’d have thought that the band would have come up with something a little better than this, however the fact that they haven’t seems to suggest that their multi-platinum selling debut was more a fluke than talent and judgement. A gap of 2 years between albums and you have the understanding that the aim of the band is to better themselves and come up with an album to the best of their ability. A gap of 5 years and you just assume the band are either lazy, incompetent or both. It would seem that Maroon 5 got lucky last time round, and the old cliché ‘Lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice’ springs to mind here.
Label: Octoscope Music
Release Date: 21st May 2007
Rating:
Kaiser Chiefs – Everything Is Average Nowadays
With a single title like ‘Everything Is Average Nowadays’, you have to wonder if the band were being ironic when they came up with the title. There’s nothing special at all about this one, and on a scale of 1 to 10 I’d say it would most definitely get an ‘Average’. Although of a similar styling to the singles on their previous album ‘Employment’, there is just something lacking about this one, with the track failing to ever remain in the memory for long. It truly is a lackluster offering from a band that only 2 years ago released an album packed full of catchy and interesting tracks. Thing’s go from bad to worse when we get to B-Side ‘Out Of My Depth’ which has to be one of the most boring tracks I’ve heard in a long while. It’s hard to imagine the band writing this one and sitting down collectively thinking ‘Yeah, this is a good one’, or perhaps they didn’t and thats why its been lazily pushed aside as a B-Side. I suppose with an A-Side as dull as ‘Everything Is Average Nowadays’, the B-Side was never going to be up to much and all we can be is thankful that the track was not any worse than it is. All things considered, things seem to be going from bad to worse for the Kaiser Chiefs and as far as I can see, the band will be incredibly lucky if they live to see the release of a third studio album as their popularity rapidly declines and decays.
Label: B-Unique
Release Date: 21st May 2007
Rating:
Good Charlotte – The River
‘The River’ is arguably the best track that Good Charlotte have ever written. The band have here replaced their Pop Punk nonchalance with straight up rock music and have definitely come up trumps as a result. The rock credentials of this track are definitely helped along by the presence of Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows and Synyster Gates; their influence can definitely be heard here and M Shadows vocals contributions work extremely well alongside Joel Madden’s. There should be enough Good Charlotte here to please fans of the band, however it is also likely to bring the band a whole new listenership given that this single is so different from anything the band have ever released before, and as I have already stated – the band most definitely benefit from it. This is not Good Charlotte as we know it, however is one of the catchiest singles you are likely to hear this year. The track just seems to work – all the pieces fit together perfectly here from the powerful dual vocals of Joel Madden and M.Shadows, right down to the booming back beat of the drums. The guitars are extremely strong here and the bass lines come through sublimely to round off an altogether perfect representation of what commercial rock music should sound like.
Label: Columbia
Release Date: 21st May 2007
Rating:
Zico Chain – Where Would You Rather Be?
Zico Chain are a UK guitar driven rock band with a powerful sound and a talent for penning a fine rock track. As such, they have managed to tour the UK in support of the likes of Alkaline Trio, Thursday, Wolfmother, and Fall of Troy. ‘Where Would You Rather Be’ is an extremely strong single, and although both vocally and musically this track at times sounds very much like Marilyn Manson’s ‘The Beautiful People’ – their sound is generally very much their own. This track works extremely well with strong guitars coming through, some fine vocal work, and quality drum beats. Right from the offset you know that this is going to be a single to remember with it’s powerful opening, and it manages to keep this great momentum throughout – a feat that many band fail to pull off. It is clear that the band have spent much time perfecting this track and in doing so have managed to release one hell of a fine single. Currently writing and recording an album to be released toward the end of 2007 – Zico Chain are a British band to watch out for.
Label: Hassle Records
Release Date: 7th May 2007
Rating:
