Click on this link to 'opener' the main 8mm page... Can Opener Overall Album Score: 7.9 out of 10 A PR guy wanted me to review this group's EP, but I'm reviewing this album on my own volition! I can't say my main criticism from the EP to their first album have actually changed. It's a real snooze-fest! Albiet I can't dismiss it, because it's too damn tasteful! So maybe I'll have tasteful dreams!! Count this in as another entry in the usually tiring dream-pop genre. There does actually exist exciting and beautiful albums of this style. (Gosh, High Ball Me by Moose is the perfect dream-pop album. It's even better than the also-excellent The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips, but that's just my opinion. David Bowie's Heathen is just magical.) This album definitely has a mood and sense of purpose, but these guys just don't have the willingness to breathe LIFE in most of these songs. This music, while usually nice, is so derivitive of '00s dream-pop standards. Where's the ambition? Hmmm??? The melodies are usually fine and complex, but I sit here listening to it hoping for a glorious hook or two to brighten up the whole experience. They rarely come around. The production is technically perfect, but there's nothing about the instrumentation that grabs me by the ears. Just sooooooooooooooooooo boring. The album is only 40 minutes, but even that seems too long. That's a shame, because this wasn't poorly conceived. There's three songs I want to point out. The album opener "No Way Back" pretty much does all this album needed to do as far as straight dream-pop goes. The instrumentation is also very nice, and there's a hint of life behind all the dreariness. "Quicksand" is notable because of its melody ... (See what a good melody can do?). Probably the best song in terms of development is the closing track "Forever and Ever Amen." All the others have the unfortunate tendency to seem the same from beginning to end (if you're paying close attention, you'll notice development ... but it's so subtle and weak that it effectively doesn't count). This track, however, has dramatic build-up that actually seems to mean something. I know this review sounded negative, but I do think this is a good album. The flaws are rather dehabilitzting, though. I appreciate this effort, but I can't forsee any circumstances that would lead me to listen to it again. If this group continues, I do wish they would try creativity out for a change. That'll fix a lot of your woes and even make up for the weakish melodies. Overall Album Score: 7.9 out of 10 (Smart but lacking. There's a few good moments but boredom quickly begins to take hold..........) Average Song Score: 8.2 (All of these songs are tasteful. It's the six-minute track that loses my patience.) Album Tilt: 7.5 (Zzzzzzz.) Artist Rating: 8.0 (Sure, it's tasteful among everything else. This is good music for all you wannabe intellectuals. But it's also highly derivitive and so non-innovative that it hurts.) Track Reviews No Way Back 9/10 With quiet and lovely production, this is probably one of the nicer dream-pop songs I can think of. At least it doesn't think it has to drown itself in incessant layers of noise! The market is flooded with material of this style, though, and it's not that distinctive. But the melody manages to have a good hook or two. The vocal performance is similarly subtle. A strong album opener ... but what's next? Bones 7.5/10 I definitely appreciate the attempt to rock out here. Alas, the mentality remains the same! Oh, dream pop!!!!!!!! WHY MUST YOU BE LIKE DREAMMMMMMMM POP??????????? WHY!!!! OK, there's some well-placed guitar crunches here and there. I can't help but feeling bored through this. It's not even four minutes and I feel like it was too long. You Know 8.5/10 They're going more of a grunge route here, and that only helps the effort. The melody is a tad boring, but ............... that's essentially this band's weakness. That and a lack of melody skills! Anyway, this is more of an upbeat song, so it's easier for me to take it in. I thought the song ended nicely ... she just sings the same note, but the rhythm was nice. Stunning 8/10 You know, this song threatens to be lively. They don't quite make it ... but ............... oh man, this is DREAMMMMMMMMMMM POP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do like the song production very much, though. There was some nice touches. I do wish they would concentrate more on the songwriting. Surely, the song is tasteful, but that's not how you change the world. Never Enough 7.5/10 It's a shame, because they're trying so hard! You don't always make a good song by singing the same silly notes over and over and over and over.... The instrumentation and (subtle) mood changes throughout help liven the effort up. This is highly professional, but you don't win wars by being "highly professional." Liar 8/10 You're a liar and you're boring! The instrumentation is basically just Beaven with an acoustic guitar and a drunken piano twinking around toward the end. The melody is pretty decent here, but ......... gosh this is a boring song. I'm really trying too. Quicksand 9.5/10 Much better this time. They not only have a workable melody but they develop it into a song that catches my interest immediately from the beginning. It has enough intertia to hold my interest. There's plenty of room for improvement, but count your blessings! Angel 8.5/10 This song is so tasteful that I'm really probing myself for great things to say about it. The melody isn't hooky but it has good flow. The instrumentation is very usual for this album ... but I just find it to be boring. Tastefully boring. This is an 8.5 for the technical stuff, but it had potential to be higher. Maybe I'll catch you in a coffee shop sometime. I can act all cool! Give it Up 6/10 This is kind of the magnum opus of boring songs. Six minutes long with the usual endless watery guitars and melody that doesn't try very hard to be interesting. This is just a more boring and longer drawn out version of everything else in this album, it seems. Forever and Ever Amen 9/10 .....................That's how long it seems this album is, although it was only 40 mintues, which is mercifully short. This is more of a piano ballad, and the guy helps sing this one. All of that helps add to the diversity. The song is only three mintues long and it actually has a noticable build-up. OK, next album, concentrate on developing your songs. This was a good start. All zombies are invited to send me a comment here!

All reviews are copyrighted by Michael Lawrence. He lives in the ghetto.