Rich Duncan
12/09/06, 11:48 AM
End Of Fashion - End Of Fashion
Record Label: Capitol
Release Date: May 23, 2006
A sold out nationwide tour. A performance on MTV. A gold record. Four successful singles. Perth, Australia’s End Of Fashion has achieved all of those milestones in their native country, so one would assume this is an album worth getting excited about. However, after many listens, nothing on End Of Fashion excited me. Usually when I listen to a band, they bring out a certain sort of reaction. Hardcore bands make me want to jump around and go completely insane and any melodic form of rock (indie, alternative, etc.) makes me want to play air guitar and sing my lungs out. You know what I felt when listening to this album? Nothing. Not to say the band is terrible, they can definitely play their instruments, but this album is to rock what vanilla is to the ice cream world (albeit the album’s few redeeming tracks).
“She’s Love” kicks off the album and although there are some decent guitar parts in this song, it seems over repetitious and sounds like hundreds of similar bands already rehashing an older rock sound. I don’t know about everyone else, but I think this “throwback” sound is starting to get annoying. “O Yeah” is one of the few tracks on the album that I actually enjoyed. It has an anthemic chorus that would fit perfectly in a teen comedy (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). “Anymore” is one of the slower songs on the record, and offers a breather on an otherwise monotonous album (aside from a few standout tracks). This song shows that the band has talent, but this talent does not come through well on the other tracks preceding it. End Of Fashion vocalist Justin Burford utilizes more of his range and actually sounds more confident than he does on the raucous opening tracks. The sound found here and on the lush “In Denial” is one I wish the band had toyed with more on the album rather than trying for the garage rock sound, which is way past its expiration date.
“Lock Up Your Daughters” not only has a hilariously awesome title, it is also an enjoyable song to tap your feet along too. However, parts of the song become overused quickly, which almost spoils the fun of this track. “Seize The Day” is easily the best song End Of Fashion has to offer. Again, Burford is a talented vocalist and his talents are more noticeable on the bands slower songs, which allow him to experiment with his range a lot more. The song sounds heartbreaking and dramatic and the band actually uses a piano (!) on this track, which sets it apart from almost every other song on the album. For a brief five and a half minutes, they are no longer a mediocre garage rock band, but a versatile rock band that is capable of creating a guaranteed hit song in the U.S.
While this album stuck me as a slightly below average rock record, parts of this record show flashes of creativity that could garner them a considerable amount of attention here. My feelings towards this album were split right down the middle. About half of the songs were enjoyable while half were quite bland and did not hold my attention at all. The enjoyable tracks are the one that see the band experiment with more styles than just their typical stripped down rock approach, and try to utilize a more encompassing sound. While this debut has seen a great deal of success in Australia, I don’t think it will get the same reception here. However, it is only their debut. They are capable of entering the U.S. mainstream, but this debut is not the album that will get them there. If you are looking for raw sounding garage rock bands, you are better off looking elsewhere to get your fix.
Record Label: Capitol
Release Date: May 23, 2006
A sold out nationwide tour. A performance on MTV. A gold record. Four successful singles. Perth, Australia’s End Of Fashion has achieved all of those milestones in their native country, so one would assume this is an album worth getting excited about. However, after many listens, nothing on End Of Fashion excited me. Usually when I listen to a band, they bring out a certain sort of reaction. Hardcore bands make me want to jump around and go completely insane and any melodic form of rock (indie, alternative, etc.) makes me want to play air guitar and sing my lungs out. You know what I felt when listening to this album? Nothing. Not to say the band is terrible, they can definitely play their instruments, but this album is to rock what vanilla is to the ice cream world (albeit the album’s few redeeming tracks).
“She’s Love” kicks off the album and although there are some decent guitar parts in this song, it seems over repetitious and sounds like hundreds of similar bands already rehashing an older rock sound. I don’t know about everyone else, but I think this “throwback” sound is starting to get annoying. “O Yeah” is one of the few tracks on the album that I actually enjoyed. It has an anthemic chorus that would fit perfectly in a teen comedy (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). “Anymore” is one of the slower songs on the record, and offers a breather on an otherwise monotonous album (aside from a few standout tracks). This song shows that the band has talent, but this talent does not come through well on the other tracks preceding it. End Of Fashion vocalist Justin Burford utilizes more of his range and actually sounds more confident than he does on the raucous opening tracks. The sound found here and on the lush “In Denial” is one I wish the band had toyed with more on the album rather than trying for the garage rock sound, which is way past its expiration date.
“Lock Up Your Daughters” not only has a hilariously awesome title, it is also an enjoyable song to tap your feet along too. However, parts of the song become overused quickly, which almost spoils the fun of this track. “Seize The Day” is easily the best song End Of Fashion has to offer. Again, Burford is a talented vocalist and his talents are more noticeable on the bands slower songs, which allow him to experiment with his range a lot more. The song sounds heartbreaking and dramatic and the band actually uses a piano (!) on this track, which sets it apart from almost every other song on the album. For a brief five and a half minutes, they are no longer a mediocre garage rock band, but a versatile rock band that is capable of creating a guaranteed hit song in the U.S.
While this album stuck me as a slightly below average rock record, parts of this record show flashes of creativity that could garner them a considerable amount of attention here. My feelings towards this album were split right down the middle. About half of the songs were enjoyable while half were quite bland and did not hold my attention at all. The enjoyable tracks are the one that see the band experiment with more styles than just their typical stripped down rock approach, and try to utilize a more encompassing sound. While this debut has seen a great deal of success in Australia, I don’t think it will get the same reception here. However, it is only their debut. They are capable of entering the U.S. mainstream, but this debut is not the album that will get them there. If you are looking for raw sounding garage rock bands, you are better off looking elsewhere to get your fix.