TGL – Self/Titled EP (CD)

This was the first thing to be released in the Greencastle music scene, to be played on the NeuFutur radio show, and this was a very rough recording to say the least. While the emotive lyrics of Trevor’s can be heard throughout the disc, the simple fact was that everything forms and congeals into one loud mess, consisting of the rhythm guitar, bass, and drum set. “Save Me”, the discs’ one original, fits in perfectly with the other covers in the sense that it has the same feel as the other songs chosen to represent the band. Using the extremely listenable, cough-syrup sweet vocals of Trevor to contend with the soulful shrieks of Zach, “Save Me” builds tension in the stanzas while using the chorus as a pressure valve. In “Save Me”, we lose sight of Zach as a set of vocals and have to put eir back into context as another instrument, one that has its’ key function as creating a bi-polar sound, two narratives to the same set of events. The rational and the animal self are represented on the disc, to make a better generalization.

In the second Brand New cover to grace this CD, “Seventy Times Seven” is a faithful representation of the original, with Will’s drum rolls, Zach’s bass solo and the call and response between Trevor and the rest of the band being the high spots of this cover. “My Only Cure”, a Recover cover, seems to be the only shaky ground that the band operates on during this CD, with some minor issues surrounding the lead vocals, specifically the fact that Trevor struggles trying to get to the high register necessary to start off each of the chorus. With Taking Back Sunday’s greatest hit, “Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team), the band eviscerates the emotive force inherent in each instrument during the track, further shifting Trevor’s vocals into an almost flippant realm, even closer to what Adam seems to have intended with lyrics like “Don’t bother trying to explain Angel / I know exactly what goes on when you’re on and How about I’m outside of your window.”

Moving onto a cover of Christian wunderkinds Thousand Foot Krutch, “Set It Off” is another highway song, one that lends itself well to the sing-a-long projection of Trevor’s voice. The pop-punk type of guitar solo during this track is the one further jump by the band that shows me that they are not just a one-trick pony. As a sort of secret track, an acoustic “Cute Without the E” is left at the end of the CD, but it won’t be discussed due to the soloist tendencies of the track. Overall, the CD is a decent view inside The Good Life’s minds, and while the recording is rough, the future seems bright for the band, considering “Save Me”. If they plan to become famous, however, they need to get into their zone and create that one tight, catchy, slightly-punky-yet-emotional type of track, one that individuals can sing along to the entire time, one like “Sic Transit Gloria” or even the oft-mentioned “Cute Without the E”.

Rating: 6.4/10

Top Tracks : Save Me, My Only Cure

TGL – Self/Titled EP

The Good Life – Self/Titled EP / 2003 Self-Released / 7 Tracks / No Website / [email protected] / Reviewed 02 January 2004