The opening strains of “Big City Lights” start out a little nebulous, but rapidly fall into a hard-hitting indie rock style that has hints of Radiohead and the more emotive rock of Appleseed Cast and Fugazi present. There does not need to be any vocals at this opening section of the disc, as the instrumentation contains a vocal presence (the higher registers of the synthesizer) and the contributions are complex enough to keep individuals interested. The pushy vocals during the track keep the band focused and add another level of harmony to the Low Frequency in Stereo’s composition. While the track is only a shade over three minutes, the song feels longer due to the sheer amount of material that is present in the arrangements of the track.
Surely, a strong start to this album, and it will be interesting to see how the band either varies on the themes established during the track or moves to different points. The inclusion of a musical clip seems to draw away some of the momentum that Low Frequency in Stereo had accumulated over the entirety of “Big City Lights”, but some good comes in the clip as it does delineate between two distinctly different tracks. “The Challenger” is a track that is a lot more heavy on the psychedelic influences, while still having the focus on instrumentation that made “Big City Lights” such an interesting track. In terms of contemporary bands that the Low Frequency in Stereo approach, “The Challenger” has hints of the same influences that inspire both The Fratellis and Jet, along with Temper Temper. While the vocals do change things up considerably (just listen to the Devo-like vocals during “21”), the band makes their biggest strides forwards when the compositions are mostly or completely instrumental. During those tracks where there is a large vocal presence, it seems as if the band meanders much more than those mostly-instrumental tracks.
Still, “The Last Temptation Volume 1” is a catchy, hooky album that will get individuals dancing and bouncing their bodies around. A song like “Jimmy Legs” is what Low Frequency in Stereo needs to break it big, and it will only be a matter of time to see whether the act can reach a large enough audience to become the next big thing. They definitely have enough talent to reach for the stars; here’s to hoping that their brand of retrospective rock (albeit,, with an eye towards the current) is what is on everyone’s iPod in 2007.
Top Tracks: Axes, Jimmy Legs
Rating: 6.8/10
Low Frequency In Stereo – The Last Temptation of The Low Frequency in Stereo Vol. 1 / 2006 Gigantic / 8 Tracks / http://www.lowfrequencyinstereo.com / http://www.giganticmusic.com / Reviewed 21 May 2007
[JMcQ]