Posted on: March 25, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Wow, “Sink” is intense in all of the right ways. Big City Rock are not big at this point of time, but they will be big in just a short period of time. Do you remember Vertical Horizon? Big City Rock mixes that band with The Killers to come up with a bouncy yet compelling brand of rock that all can find commonalities in. “All of the Above” is another track that continues with the brand of electronic-cum-rock. The band makes “All of the Above” into a dance track that has much more in common with The Sounds than with any other act.

Each of the songs is resting on the back of the distinct vocals that are such a focal point on the disc; while there are considerable differences between each of the tracks on this self-titled album, the vocals are the one thing that allows individuals to tell that the song is a Big City Rock track. In a song like “As Soon As I find Out”, Big City Rock tie in a little guitar rock a la Coldplay and U2 to further their sound. The style would normally seem very done, very trite but Big City Rock has the chops to keep things interesting. It is during “I Believe In You” that the band seems to hit a brick wall. In what sounds like a b-side to a Five For Fighting single, “I Believe In You” is a little too stretched out to keep the same momentum that the rest of the tracks on this album have previously had.

The band gets back up on the horse for their “Human”. The track may not be at the same high level which Big City Rock started out their album, but what “Human” does is get Big City Rock back into the groove that benefits them and their listeners the most. The band is smart enough to only include ten tracks on this album, so the disc spins through quickly. By cutting out some of the under-performing tracks, Big City Rock are able to showcase their strongest foot forward. The band has a few weak songs on this self-titled album, but the vast majority of songs here are radio-friendly, punchy tracks that will get stuck in listeners’ ears for years to come. Give this album a few spins and keep the band in your mind, so that they can surprise you even more when this next album comes out.

Top Tracks: Sink, Human

Rating: 6.4/10

Big City Rock – S/T / 2006 Atlantic / 10 Tracks / http://www.bigcityrock.net / http://www.atlanticrecords.com / Reviewed 28 June 2006

[JMcQ]

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