This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
1. Just Forget My Name
2. These Nights Are Long
3. Wake Me Up
4. An Apology
5. I Won’t Tell
6. Whisper of Sin
7. You’re Welcome
8. Close Range
9. A Defeated Accomplishment
10. The Hand of God
11. Nuclear Sunrise
“I’m alive/And it feels like I’ve been ripped away from anything that haunts me at night/I’m alive/And it feels like so many times before/How I wish you would have just forgot my name…” bellows So They Say’s vocalist-slash-keyboard extraordinaire Joseph Hamilton during “Just Forget My Name,” the opening track from their latest effort, Life in Surveillance. His even voice, set against verses that are quick-paced and, to a degree, heavy, is melodic, drawn out, as if each word, each letter, is acting in slow-motion.
It’s a rollercoaster ride - a discordant undertaking that begs the question “Which way did they want to go?” - and it’s a styling that finds it’s way on most of the record (just listen to “Wake Me Up,” “You’re Welcome,” “I Won’t Tell”). It’s a push-pull effect – the gravitational tug between hasty, intense rhythms and composed but vulnerable vocal annotations - that creates this illusion of maturity, which the band lacks.
Really, this is only because of Hamilton. His singing is nothing distinct, nothing spectacular or memorable. Yes, he’s distressed. Yes, he exposes himself through each note. Yet, he sounds as if he is desperately trying to find his signature sound, like when a kitten finds their voice and meows all the time.
On a whole, Life in Surveillance is a crisp album – no scuffs, no wear and tear. But there’s a certain fervor, a certain enthusiasm, that’s missing, possibly hidden, buried underneath the polished production and advanced studio effects. On “An Apology,” (which is the best track, a breath of life suffocating beneath everything else) there’s a glimpse of it – Hamilton seems genuinely hurt, even scared - but for the most part, Life in Surveillance is nothing interesting. Catchy, yes, but easily forgettable.
Reviewed by: Annamarya Scaccia | October 2007
