Tristeza "A Colores" (Better Looking Records) Sounds like: Godspeed You Latin Santana! C-
The only purely instrumental bands that seem to make it big anymore have to add some sort of regional aesthetic to their work. Maybe it's because narrative gets so much harder without a discernible frontman - your lead singer has to be a city. In that tradition, San Diego, home of Tristeza, is given a fair amount of instrumentation to chew on.
"A Colores" is filled to the brim with west coast Latin guitar riffs and trippy keyboards. It's a strategy that shows promise, but where does it all lead? Storytelling is nearly impossible without vocals, but similar bands like Explosions in the Sky and The Octopus Project put out solid ideas with wide open interpretation just fine, learning when to liberate themselves and at what time.
The real frustration behind "A Colores" is that Tristeza is just too focused to make any experimentation really work. Tracks like "Abrazo Distante" find decent harmonies then strangle them, which could be interesting, if so many sounds weren't trying to be slipped in through the tight post production. Similarly, really mediocre hooks are found on "Halo Heads," just not enough to stand alone for over five minutes of attempted exploitation.
Tristeza really needs to just lighten up and maybe drink some iced tea instead of black coffee on their next record. The track "Wand" shows they can lean back and shake off elevator muzak seriousness, if only for a little while. Now the rest of their work either needs to catch up or fall behind the majority of "A Colores," anything to get them out of the wishy-washy trot they find themselves in.
-NEAL FERSKO
The All-American Rejects "Move Along" (Interscope Records) Sounds Like: Blink-182 and Matchbox 20 trying to sound like Green Day. C+
The All-American Rejects' second CD, titled "Move Along," is like a movie with a good plot but a disappointing ending. Each song starts with a unique riff but quickly falls into a repetitive song structure. The CD has potential but falls short due to a lack of individuality.
The sound of the All-American Rejects is too similar to existing bands such as Blink-182, Green Day and Fallout Boy. All of these bands do a better job then AAR. Each song on the new album follows a similar pattern. It starts with a solo by lead singer Tyson Ritter, which then progresses into a harmonic chorus accompanied by fast power chords. This pattern can keep listeners' attention in the beginning, but after a while the songs become like distracting thoughts you want to go away.
Ritter's voice is average but lacks the feeling that lead singers like Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) possess. Ritter's voice also remains the same in every song, singing the same or similar notes. The other members of the band are nothing special, playing simple riffs that could be played by most other bands just as well or better.
"Move Along" should be treated like a strong shot of espresso. It's okay in small doses, but too much could drive a listener crazy. The only unique aspect of "Move Along" is the intros to each song before the vocals. They don't last long, though, and quickly fall into the formulaic pattern of the CD. Maybe with their next CD AAR will be able to develop their own unique style.
-MICHAEL REICHENBERG
PIG "Pigmata" (Metropolis Records) Sounds like: Bland collection of Ministry wannabe tracks from former KMFDM mastermind. C-
Fresh from the German industrial underground comes an album so terrifying, it will have you screaming in fear - if you happen to be afraid of pigs, that is. "Pigmata" is the latest release from industrial legend Raymond Watts, better known as PIG. While the name might seem to connote some sort of nasty, dirty, original type of sound, don't be fooled. PIG's music is about as generic as it gets when it comes to industrial music. It's a bit disappointing to find one of the masterminds behind industrial legends such as KMFDM putting out music that offers no substance whatsoever.
"Pigmata" opens with the song "Suck Shit Spit," which listeners might find themselves doing during this bland Ministry wannabe. While the song itself is actually pretty catchy, the lyrics set the tone for the rest of the album as Watts cries out appropriately enough, "Sit down and shit it right out," which is what he seemed to do with this album. The album, while a musical snooze, does shell out some decent tracks with regards to musical content. The aforementioned "Suck, Shit Spit" is catchy enough, but the album seems to shine best with the tracks "Kundalini" and "On the Slaughter Front," which are oddly huge musical departures from the rest of the album.
"Kundalini" is a semi-poignant almost emo-like song that seems to touch on what might be PIG's love interest as he wails out, "I'll be your eyes tonight." "On the Slaughter Front" is a radically different sounding song that borders on jazz-fusion. Still, while these songs do stand out noticeably, they are not enough to bring up the credibility of this record. The music drags on with the same three-chord power riffs and the same cheesy technological keyboard licks that made bands such as Rammstein famous.
The songs have no real transition as the lyrics limp along from illogical thought to illogical thought. With nonsensical lyrics like, "Let's ease the tension/let's fuck apprehension," one may wonder if PIG got his lyrics from watching Hooked on Phonics. While the album does have its shining points, the rest of the songs are just nothing spectacular. If you want to listen to good industrial music, do yourself a favor and pick up an album from PIG's old band, KMFDM. Otherwise, leave "Pigmata" in the used rack.
-CHRIS MORENO
