I’ve been listening to this CD for about a week now and I’d give it 3/5. Some of the lyrics are a bit cheesy and some songs end up being too radio friendly nu-metal. For example, 'The Dotted Line' is way too cliche with its song structure and it kind of bores me after a few listens. 'Stay Young' sounds like a song my little cousin would play in a mix CD with all her pop-punk bands. It actually reminds me of "One Thing" from Finger Eleven. They'd be smart not to release it as a second single. The instrumentals are amazing though and add a very nice touch to the album. So far Poughkeepsie, NY is probably my favorite song as of right now. Not just because of my hometown mention (he could be saying Detroit for all I care), it's more or so the message and the way the song carries itself. Coma Therapy, The New National Anthem, Hot/Cold (Darling, Don't) are also impressing me greatly. Love is Life and Night Falls is starting to grow on me and Daylight in the City is a just your typical 'end of record slow song.' Cocaine is still great, but I've listening to it a gazillion times and frankly I'm sick of it. But overall, this is much better than their debut and the Downside record.
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After giving this a few weeks, I'd give it a 3.5/5 for a few reasons.
Firstly - I will ALWAYS want this band to succeed. Even if I prefer some of their older styles to some of the newer ones, I know they're sincere and they've been at this for a long time now. It would be a waste of a great band for these guys not to succeed enough to continue making the music they love.
Now getting to the record... I think that it's very fair to say that the dynamics of this band have changed quite a bit. I find the use of delay and reverb on the record to be very tasteful, and I'm impressed that they've managed to find ways to sound bigger and louder without just resorting to distortion. There's a lot more going on here than the simplicity that is present on so much of their last record. I absolutely LOVE the first track - one of my favorites of the year, so far. "Hot/Cold" and even "Cocaine" are also very enjoyable all the way through in my opinion.
The rest of the record, though, doesn't hit me the way I expected it too - certainly not a bad thing, albeit a bit of a letdown. So many of the songs... "The Dotted Line," "Daylight in the City," "Stay Young," "Love is Life" ... it seems that they all start out with really promising ideas that just never fully develop into what they could be. That isn't to say that Strata isn't good at writing songs, because they certainly are. But so much of it just strikes me as an attempt to be something they're not, like they're always overreaching their bounds or something. I don't know... I can't really place it, but there is a bit of a disappointment with every song. "Love is Life" in particular is fantastically understated and really has a catchy-ness to it, but it also gets VERY repetitive and after the third listen I feel stuck in time.
I want Strata to go far, and I think with this record I can feel their desire to maybe cut some corners and refine their sound so that they don't compromise on their freedom but at least cater to more of what people are listening to. And that's just fine, as long as their next record is a reflection of what they REALLY have inside of them. All in all though, far from a bad record.Originally posted by GnomadI think we're forgetting one huge factor in all of this.
Super God.Originally posted by auto-de-fedo you think we can get a sticky for this thread so that i can constantly be reminded how much of a dick theruleofthree is?
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i definitely get the catch without arms vibe from it. their rhythm section really reminds me of dredg...mainly the use of the hi-hat. and of course the delay...it's a crime that they don't have dredg listed as an influence, but death cab for cutie?Originally posted by vsd...and to be frank...i think...
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makes sense to me. dredg still isn't the most widely known band. if i was trying to tell people who i sounded like, i wouldn't use a band that they didn't know...even though that might be the best way to describe them.Originally posted by Lye In Your Eyeyou're pretty narcissistic
enjoy that, nobody else does.Originally posted by MadklikorYou call me ignorant? LOL...Stop judging right you or you're gonna find me
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Originally posted by evasivetearmakes sense to me. dredg still isn't the most widely known band. if i was trying to tell people who i sounded like, i wouldn't use a band that they didn't know...even though that might be the best way to describe them.Originally posted by vsd...and to be frank...i think...
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