If Golf Records release albums by bands which they feel are en vogue with whatever is popular at a said time (i.e. skate punk a couple of years ago) then it would seem, judging from some of their current roster, they’ve latched on to a more recent trend as of late. This album, licensed from Tooth and Nail, titled rather emptily; ‘A Moment of Imperfect Clarity’ and from a band, also with a throwaway name, made me expect bad things before I had even heard it. What is interesting though is that it’s produced by Gggarth; to you and me the guy who did the first RATM album.
What we have here is a rather uninspiring album. Whilst the lyrics are emotion ridden, they just sound so empty and vague that I find it hard to call it anything other than clichéd, one example of many is track 3, A Breath in the Fog’ which goes something like; “…my dreams may not come true, I may fall on my face. Still my hope is in youâ€. Ok I’ve heard worse and they’re harmless enough, but to me they just sound so devoid of any real thought/creativity. But still I can see how people would find it appealing.
There’s something about this album which reminds me of P.O.D (anyone remember them?!) I’m not entirely sure that it’s a great thing either; maybe it’s just the almost spiritual vibe it creates in places. Most songs on this album seem to be based around similar sorts of riffs and after a good few listens I’m still finding it tricky to tell where one rocky, mid-paced, metal-esque is distinguishable from the next.
Although the ballady track ‘Seasons Change’ sounds like it could be found on an EVANESSENCE album there are few features which redeem this album from a scathing review. It’s a consistent release, which is a good thing; it doesn’t jump around all over the place and generally has a flowing mood. The stand out tracks are ‘Falling Forever’, ‘Sleep Well Tonight’ and ending track ‘How Long’. They all have a really good choruses with mesmerising vocal melodies and catchy riffs even if the lyrics are a little dodgy; ‘…how long will creation speak your name’, what the hell does that mean exactly?!
I’ve listened to this CD a fair bit but I can’t really get in to it. I’m finding the saving graces to be some of the vocal hooks which are very effective as is the overall atmosphere/mood it creates, but other than that there’s little here to please me other than its consistency. I can say therefore, that if you like the sound of any tracks off this album you will more than likely enjoy the whole thing.
www.spokenmusic.com
www.toothandnail.com
www.golfrecords.com
Mike