The City Sleeps In Flames,
Scary Kids Scaring KidsScary Kids Scaring Kids aren't a Cap'n Jazz tribute band, but they really, really wish they were Thursday. The six-piece, complete with three guitars, have a big beefy sound and some slick production, but I'm left with the feeling that vocalist Tyson really wants to be Geoff Rickley. Indeed, there are many songs on 'The City Sleeps In Flames' that could have featured on the last Thursday album. Song structures are similar and once you start to dissect each track and its arrangement you come to the conclusion there are more than a few conincidental similarities. Despite this, the band aren't too bad. Sure, it's a musical genre which has been done to death (hence the score), but Scary Kids do it pretty well.
The Arizona lads released an EP about 18 months ago which showed they had a lot of promise. Their keyboards were really turned up in the mix and created an almost haunting background effect, something which is sadly lacking this time round. Instead, the band are more guitar and vocal driven, so while songs like 'Empty Glasses' and the album's title track stand out for being very solid, they're not exactly spectacular. The instant I heard 'The City Sleeps In Flames' I thought of 'For The Workforce Drowing' and that really set the tone for me. The crunching guitar lines, the thoughtful, introspective lyrics and the vocal delivery are all very reminiscent of the New Jersey mob. Because of this, I would think Scary Kids will go on to do very well for themselves.
This 11-tracker is pretty good for what it is - but it's another record which doesn't really push the envelope or move the goalposts for other bands within the genre. I've enjoyed listening to it and I feel I'll continue to listen to it over the summer, but possibly only because I'm awaiting Thursday's next move. With this CD released on a major (Immortal), and produced by Brian McTernan, I feel Scary Kids Scaring Kids will be on the lips of many people this year. But that doesn't mean they're the best band around at what they do. Another band off the conveyor belt of clones, Scary Kids are more like the remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre than the really scary original...
www.scarykids.com
Immortal
Paul
