Posted on: December 3, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The jangly guitar work that starts off “Bye Bye Beautiful” is reminiscent of the work that late eighties Cure would release on their album. However, during tracks like “Through the Waves and Stars”, a blend of Blur, Muse, and Oasis is much more the course of the day than anything else. In much of the same way, The October come up with a sound that is very radio friendly. Te introductory track puts The October in a very strong position, and the production that is present throughout the entirety of the disc is strong enough to keep individuals clamoring for more.

This general sound that was first presenting during “Through the Water and Stars” is continued fully during “Kings and Queens”. There are hints of a British rock sound to The October’s output, but the vocals really put the cherry on top of that sundae. The oinly thing that seems to be a structural problem for The October has to be the very united sound that they present throughout the entirety of “Bye Bye Beautiful”. To have cohesion during the disc is one thing, but by the time that “Sending Echoes” ends, one wonders where the band can go. The inclusion of a catchy tempo during the bridge between the stanzas seems to be a smart move but one does not know if that will lead to anything by the end of that track. The tracks on “Bye Bye Beautiful” are all strong but the band just needs to include different sounds and styles. If individuals just listen to single tracks like “Bedroom Girls”, the band can succeed.

However, if The October are trying to win over individuals based on their efforts on the CD as a hole, their results will not be as strong as merely listening to singles. This is due to the fact that the band does not innovate or change as much as they need to during the runtime of “Bye Bye Beautiful”. The slower tempo of a song like “Eyes Closed” is a different tack for The October to take, and this move makes the disc refreshed, even if the band moves back into their tried and true sound soon after. The catchy chorus of “Eyes Closed” is another strong point on the latter half of the track. The October are a band that have a tremendous amount of talent; all that is needed now is for the band to expand their overall sound, and chances are good that the act could push themselves to the stratosphere.

Top Tracks: Eyes Closed, Sending Echoes

Rating: 6.0/10

The October – …Bye Bye Beautiful / 2006 Sparkgun / 12 Tracks / http://www.theoctober.com / http://www.myspace.com/theoctober / Reviewed 24 February 2007

[JMcQ]

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