Neon Nights Electric Lives,
The Static AgeThere's something rather odd and discomforting about this band that I'm not too keen on. Taking their name from a Misfits song, The Static Age play a post-hardcore tinged brand of music, with synth and lots of dark overtones thrown in for good measure. It means that 'Neon Nights Electric Lives' is often uncomprising and, at times, uninspiring - a record that is probably better served as atmospheric background music than stand-out sounds belting from your stereo. There's a lack of an instant feel - perhaps that's the point and I've missed it - that makes The Static Age's latest record a difficult one to really get stuck into. It means that for every 'Vertigo' - a foot-stomping mass of swirling guitars - there's a 'Canopy', a track which goes on and on and on and...
Fair play to the band for not sticking ridgidly to the three-minute radio hit style that has made many of their peers famous, but the constant ch-ch-chugging and spooky synth that is sprinkled over the vocals begins to grate over time. And time does pass - this is a lengthy and weighty album that does take some listening. The instrumentation is top-notch mind you - the drums are rock solid and the guitars intracite and inventive, although maybe overly so at times. Where The Static Age really score points is in the imagination category, because the band have neglected the opportunity to write a batch of catchy, instant songs and cash in on a dying trend of 'emotional' music. Instead they stick to their own agenda, and fair play to them. However, for me, this is a record that's difficult to get into and really enjoy.
Tarantulas Records
Paul
