Posted on: July 26, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

 

Socialburn moves cross the gamut of popular rock type of styles, taking a little bit from Bush, Howie Day and even the dirty rock of bands like Lit for their “Beauty of Letting Go”. A track like “Speak Now” really looks toward Switchfoot for its main influence, but really puts forth something that is more cohesive and compelling than anything that “The Beautiful Letdown-era” Switchfoot could come up with. Definitive drum-beats really punctuate the tone of “Ride” and allow for a strong challenger to come up against the dominant vocals of the track. What is strongest about Socialburn is their ability to put forth a timeless style of rock that does not pander to the lowest common denominator.

Sure, there is a radio-friendly sound to the songs on “The Beauty of Letting Go”, but the instrumental arrangements present a flair for the intricate that cannot be deciphered in plain, casual listening. While the disc tops out at nearly fifty minutes, the compositions are done in an always-interesting way that will mean that “The Beauty of Letting Go” will zip quickly past the periphery of all listening in. Each of the tracks on “The Beauty of Letting Go” are ready for Clearchannel and mTV, the production is strong enough to allow for the band to shine with whatever path they wish to take. The harder edge of a track like “Love Hate” really changes up the dynamic of the disc in its late stages; the sound is much more close to the Meat Puppets and early Foo Fighters than anything else on the disc. With its late position on “The Beauty of Letting Go”, one has to wonder if the band is setting up a path to go for their next album.

Getting near to the end of the disc with the penultimate track “Out To Sea”, the result is that Socialburn uses melodramatic vocals to really begin to seal this album tight. The increased duties of the vocalist really ensure that the intensity shown at the earlier parts of the disc does not wane as the disc nears its end. The amount of longing that is present in both the vocals and the arrangements during “Happy” is the perfect ending for “The Beauty of Letting Go”; guitar arrangements not quite unlike “Adam’s Song” (Blink 182) and vocals that hold just the perfect amount of the title quality ensure that listeners are left with the perfect balance of emotions and a burning desire to hear more from this band.

Top Tracks: Happy, Speak Now

Rating: 6.8/10

[JMcQ]

Socialburn – The Beauty of Letting Go / 2005 Irock / 12 Tracks / http://www.sv3design.com/socialburn/ / http://www.irock.com / Reviewed 21 October 2005

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