Gabe Gross
03/03/06, 06:04 PM
So They Say - Antidote for Irony
Release Date: March 7th, 2006
Record Label: Fearless
From what the album exhibits, So They Say confirm that they can contend with the powerful rock in the scene. Though its not overwhelmingly apparent Antidote of Irony could very well cause an addictive tendency--it screams, it breathes, it bleeds. Heavy guitar riffs acts as the foundation to Antidote for Irony, while delicate drumming and fragile, swinging vocals support a flexible composition.
I believe addiction plays a significant role in how we associate our musical taste to be pleasant. This is one of those addicting albums too. So They Say--Joseph Hamilton (guitar and vocals), Justin Hanson (drums), David Schroeder (vocals and guitar), Nick Walters (guitar) Joe Hoermann (bass)--cultivate the alt-rock sound into one that gains attention through the additives of its replayability.
Through the meat and potatoes of Antidote, I was fairly pleased to find no distractions or discomfort in the way each song moved on from each other. “In Loving Memory” sets off the album; a solid alt-rock anthem the cultivates into an outstanding first song on the album. More often than not, the first song doesn’t display a relevant potential for a band’s performance on the album, whereas “In Loving Memory” does. Following that is STS’s title track which brings screaming authority with a sing-along chorus where live crowds will be echoing “…with words that cut like knives!” Just as Hawthorne Heights has a niche for writing lyrics for the bleeding human spirit, So They Say have the antidote for captivating choruses that sweep verses from their heavier chords. In competition with one another “Good-Bye” and “In Essence We Are Falling” were close contenders for my favorite song on Antidote for Irony. While “Good-Bye” rang to be an obvious choice with its catchy chorus and tendencies to find you singing along, I found that “In Essence We Are Falling” to be my winner. Having strong guitars reminiscent of Alexisonfire, David Schroeder brings the listener back to earth.
While the album provides a strong basis for their musicianship, the last few tracks leave a trail of inconsistencies that don’t match the rest of the Antidote for Irony. Now I don’t believe this is a negative thing, because Antidote for Irony gives a sense of yearning without the unsettling and bitter rock and roll feeling of generic alt-rock culture. This is most evident in the final song “The Beautiful Plan”, which begins with a guitar, that juices chards out and churns divine melodies on vocals.
My hopes for a follow-up album is that percussions would play a larger role in each song. While the drumming wasn’t horrible, the potential is there to make it stand out more. I don’t believe production can be blamed for that. Matt Squire did a elegant job of taking STS’s energy and displaying it without gratifying it to a point where we could see they weren’t overcompensating for a bad live show. While I have yet to see STS on a stage, I would put money on them impressing a large crowd. So They Say have complete focus throughout all of Antidote for Irony which ultimate leads to a solid debut for the St. Louis quintet.
Release Date: March 7th, 2006
Record Label: Fearless
From what the album exhibits, So They Say confirm that they can contend with the powerful rock in the scene. Though its not overwhelmingly apparent Antidote of Irony could very well cause an addictive tendency--it screams, it breathes, it bleeds. Heavy guitar riffs acts as the foundation to Antidote for Irony, while delicate drumming and fragile, swinging vocals support a flexible composition.
I believe addiction plays a significant role in how we associate our musical taste to be pleasant. This is one of those addicting albums too. So They Say--Joseph Hamilton (guitar and vocals), Justin Hanson (drums), David Schroeder (vocals and guitar), Nick Walters (guitar) Joe Hoermann (bass)--cultivate the alt-rock sound into one that gains attention through the additives of its replayability.
Through the meat and potatoes of Antidote, I was fairly pleased to find no distractions or discomfort in the way each song moved on from each other. “In Loving Memory” sets off the album; a solid alt-rock anthem the cultivates into an outstanding first song on the album. More often than not, the first song doesn’t display a relevant potential for a band’s performance on the album, whereas “In Loving Memory” does. Following that is STS’s title track which brings screaming authority with a sing-along chorus where live crowds will be echoing “…with words that cut like knives!” Just as Hawthorne Heights has a niche for writing lyrics for the bleeding human spirit, So They Say have the antidote for captivating choruses that sweep verses from their heavier chords. In competition with one another “Good-Bye” and “In Essence We Are Falling” were close contenders for my favorite song on Antidote for Irony. While “Good-Bye” rang to be an obvious choice with its catchy chorus and tendencies to find you singing along, I found that “In Essence We Are Falling” to be my winner. Having strong guitars reminiscent of Alexisonfire, David Schroeder brings the listener back to earth.
While the album provides a strong basis for their musicianship, the last few tracks leave a trail of inconsistencies that don’t match the rest of the Antidote for Irony. Now I don’t believe this is a negative thing, because Antidote for Irony gives a sense of yearning without the unsettling and bitter rock and roll feeling of generic alt-rock culture. This is most evident in the final song “The Beautiful Plan”, which begins with a guitar, that juices chards out and churns divine melodies on vocals.
My hopes for a follow-up album is that percussions would play a larger role in each song. While the drumming wasn’t horrible, the potential is there to make it stand out more. I don’t believe production can be blamed for that. Matt Squire did a elegant job of taking STS’s energy and displaying it without gratifying it to a point where we could see they weren’t overcompensating for a bad live show. While I have yet to see STS on a stage, I would put money on them impressing a large crowd. So They Say have complete focus throughout all of Antidote for Irony which ultimate leads to a solid debut for the St. Louis quintet.