Posted on: July 28, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Army of Me – Citizen / 2007 Doghouse / 12 Tracks / http://www.armyofmeonline.com / http://www.doghouserecords.com /

”Perfect” starts off “Citizen”, and it has a sound that parallels a blend of Simple Plan and Say Anything, but individuals would barely know that from the quiet vocals and guitars that start off the track. The production present during this track is interesting, and it seems to vary as much as the arrangements on the track. The band is very Protean, individuals will hear something different every few seconds from Army of Me. The drums that start out “Going Through Changes” really have a Blink 182 type of sound to them, even as the vocals go into a position that is not easily catagorizable. The band seems to have a high energy even as tracks like “Going Through Changes” are pretty morose and quiet throughout. This tension makes for a unique album, one that will garner a number of listens.

The one thing that seems to hold Army of Me back is the lack of a single-ready track on the entirety of  “Citizen”. Sure, a song like “Rise” might have a down and dirty guitar solo that will energize anyone listening in, but the rest of the parts of the band during that track do not live up to the highwater mark set by those guitar lines.  The plodding sound of “Still Believe In You” stymies anything in the way of momentum that Army of Me has created for themselves through “Citizen”. Again, it feels that the guitar work on the track is amazing, but this is about the only thing that shines that brightly on the song. OThis same slower style is present during “Thinking It Over”.

“Thinking It Over” may be the track that could get the younger set behind the band, but the vocals do not seem driven enough to be picked up by the KROCKs and TRLs of the world. Army of Me have the ability to create a very cohesive sound with their “Citizen”, but there are not really the strong tracks that the band needs to break free from all of the other acts doping the emotive rock thing. I could see them getting to the level of a Dishwalla – known by a decent amount of individuals but never getting much in the way of popular or critical acclaim – but that is about it. Give the band a listen whenever they come out with their next CD; hopefully they’ve worked past their problems and can go forward with their sound.
Top Tracks: Better Run, 2 Into 1

Rating: 4.9/10

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