Everyone who is a fan of Breaking Pangaea, or more to the point, anyone who has ever heard their earlier work will vehemently deny that the tracks on this current EP were released by the band. Not to say that this particular CD is not worth the listen, but no one could have convinced me that this was actually BP if the angsty vocals of lead singer Fred Mascherino weren’t so distinctive. In fact, the tracks on “Phoenix” are proof that Fred and crew are evolving musically. Instrumentally, at least.
Overall, the CD maintains an admirable continuity in pace and content. At no time was I thrown off by a poorly placed track, although the highlight song ‘Phoenix’ was an odd choice for this particular mix. Regardless, this is great mood music. Not a lot of complicated lyrics to distract the listener from embracing the goodness that is these guys growing into their weapon of choice.
For any other band, I’d say the songs are just filler and that’s what I initially thought. But what’s the point of creating an EP composed completely of frenzied afterthoughts. On closer inspection, this is a damn fine extended play. ‘Worst Part’ grabs you by the neck and demands your complete and utter attention by opening with a thundering guitar/bass presence and a melody so catchy you’ll find yourself humming the chorus for days. By far the best song on the EP, ‘Worst Part’ is just bouncy enough to keep your trigger finger itching to wear out the previous track button. A perfect song for the OCD listener.
The title track ‘Phoenix’ is something of a mystery to me. Its seems like lead singer Mascherino is trying to channel Ed Kowalczyk of Live in his “Secret Samadhi” stage or even Maynard Keenan of "Tool" in his... well, just about all of his stages. However, the most drawing aspect of this song is the impressive guitar work, which upstage lyrics that seem incongruous with the rest of the album. I was too distracted by the polished intertwining of guitar and bass supported with an emphatic beat to be bothered with the vocals anyway. Third on the track listing is the energetic ‘Better Off’, swirling guitar and bass into a catchy melody showcased by a strong beat. ‘Closer’ is an oddity in itself, since the entire song is composed of just fours lines, a total of thirty three words, and yet lasts for over four minutes, the second longest track on the album. Much of the same for the last, ‘Picture Perfect’. Solid songs, but nothing to write home about.
There don’t seem to be any noteworthy lyrics dispersed through these songs. No, wait, I take that back. There are barely lyrics at all compared to their earlier album “Cannon to a Whisper”. For returning Breaking Pangaea fans, this lack of lines tends to be extremely irritating considering the impressive lyrical tendencies that the BP boys exhibited in their first album. This CD seems to possess a more spiritualized version of their particular brand of emo/punk/pop, not preachy by any stretch of the imagination, but expecting the message of the songs to be brought across by the sheer magnitude of the instrumental, with a prominent beat supporting grinding bass and soaring guitar. And these guys do love their guitar.
After several listens, I began to enjoy the EP for what I think it was meant to be. The instrumental aspect in these songs is simply overwhelming at points, the guitar and bass drowning out the vocals in some very key sections. In these cases, BP relies on the power of repetition to get their message across. So humor them. Pop it into your player and select repeat.
Nicole
