FLUORESCEIN - HIGH CONTRAST COMEDOWN
I tried to like Fluorescein, I really did. I listened to Slaughterhouse With A Bed, the first track on the album and it sort of sounded like They Might Be Giants on crack or something. And I could deal with that. Next up was The Hangman, which was instantly forgettable, as was Crazy Eights. Cathy's On Crank! however, re-affirmed my faith in the band. It's about the downward spiral of the life of a good girl who goes down the wrong path. Despite some odd lyrics ("I've seen her smile like an Autumn bald baby, but I think she's lost her style" whatever that means...) it has a killer bassline. At least at first, before it gets obscured by the guitars. Reading the words to songs like More-On and Holy Daze, I almost feel bad for saying the music sucks. Greg Mora the vocalist and songwriter has written some pretty good words, but it's almost as if the band isn't powerful enough to support any of them so the songs all come crashing down. Holy Daze is the other halfway decent song in the album, its lyrics are really strong and well thought out, but the music just keeps the whole thing from being great. Maybe Mora should hook up with another band. Maybe 10 years from now somebody'll do a great cover of one of his songs. I don't know. So unless you REALLY have a craving for the lame garage-band sound, my advice is to avoid High Contrast Comedown.
Review by Aram at: Frames Per Second
Main/A-C/ D-F / G-I / J-L / M-O / P-R / S-U / V-X / Y-Z /All Bands