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Injury Loves
Melody
Diffuser |
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Great title… great cover photo… and the music's not half bad either. Very loose-throttled from the onset with "I Am" which as best as I can make it out is of the spiritually uplifting variety featuring outstretched vocals, and nearly peaked guitar dynamics, heavy on the echo, long on chorus. "Tidal," follows next and cuts down somewhat until the chorus signified by a crashing steady drum beat and a nice mixing job keeping all of the instrumentation, including the vocals at bay so no one quickly outdoes the other though seemingly all are trying. Diffuser, formerly known as Flu 13, which I'd love to know the story behind, is a New York-based quartet that not only has a knack for developing catchy album titles but generates more than their share of catchy pop-based Rock tunes, slightly off-key… if not sometimes out of kilter. As if "Injury Loves Melody" is any indication, the record is a combination of easy listening simple melodies placed in front of a wall of sonic guitar feedback and excessive harmonization-still a little too clean cut for yer basic "Garage Rock" quality but not far off. "Karma," their first single, was first heard on the Mission Impossible II soundtrack last year and isn't even as good as the first two that preceded it… it's not bad but kinda leaves you hanging there waiting for some type of resolution and well… maybe that's the trick. Better: "Losers of the Year," or "Leaving With a California Tilt." Conversely, "Tell Her This" slows things down to an almost recognizable silence before hurling themselves straight at you with a blinding chorus where the previously dormant power chords take full effect, bow out one time for the return to verse, then blast their way all the way through during the bridge… Altogether, Diffuser's an unsettling type of band that on the one hand possesses plenty of mainstream charm and the potential for serious AOR consideration but on the other, a youthful exuberance that drives them to play with reckless abandon with little regard for playing it safe… a pure indie-Rock start up quality if ever there was one-file in rank next to early Goo Goo Dolls, Cheap Trick, and let's throw in The Smashing Pumpkins for good measure. Released by Hollywood Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |