Matthew Tsai
07/10/08, 05:25 PM
Burning Tree Project - Time and Color
Record Label: Disco Tech Records
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Imagine you're walking home alone from a July 4th firework extravaganza blast at the local senior center (which also happens to be the only place where you can win a race). As you walk, nightfall settles in and due to a short lapse in memory, you find that you are hopelessly lost. You turn the corner into a dark alleyway when you hear a rustling noise. You turn around and find that you are surrounded by six original gangsters. You assess your options and realize you're better off complying to their wishes, even if it means giving up your favorite hair straightener you're carrying in your back pocket. All of a sudden, your captors pull out guitars, drums & basses and mics & keyboards before they start rocking out in a manner closer to Valencia than Ice-T. Turns out, they don't want your hair straightener, they just want to rock you.
Such is the attitude in which Burning Tree Project approaches listeners, only they back it up with a captivating background story. If you are or have been involved in the gang scene, you may have seen vocalist Enik Lin around before. The guy sports a gunshot wound (no kidding!) from his former life of drugs and obsession with pecuniary matters. As if that doesn't already spice things up, the band also consists of two African-Americans (keyboards, drums). Let me bring up the fact that Burning Tree Project is a powerpop project. A former gangster and two African-Americans in a powerpop project? Sold! I'm hooked! Sounds better than All Time Low already.
But so as to not make this band also seem invincible musically, it should be noticed that this is, of course, powerpop. There's a limit to the creativity that flows from this genre and while Burning Tree Project are no exception, they certainly still bring the headbang.
"Dear Valentine" opens the modestly-sized EP and the pop/rock sound is evident from the opening line. Though the track is one of the weaker ones, it still serves as a good hook, seeing that fans of this genre are mostly teenagers anyway. The song gives all it has, and then promptly moves on to "Hero." The smashing single is the first of several tracks on the EP where you'll just want to drop what you're doing and go crazy (hey, this is one of those summer records). This is pretty much the case with the rest of the record ("Put Your Helmet On," "Less Of Me More Of You"); songs crafted purely to assist you this summer in one the main ways you'll lose calories.
Guitarists Johnny Mora and Scott Corgan (also the only Caucasians in the band) do a decent job complimenting the production's mellow tone, scattering it with power chords and spiraling riffs all throughout the record. You might even hear a few solos here and there if you're lucky (hint: "Put Your Helmet On"). While Enik's vocals are a tad bit winy, they fit in okay with the songs while showcasing an incredible vocal range for an Asian man. You'll also hear splatters of electronic keyboarding here and there and the rhythm section adds all a pop/rock band needs.
In addition to the minor lack of originality (which actually won't bother many because it is, as mentioned before, powerpop), the songwriting seems to reveal the band's inexperience in writing tunes. Granted, this is the debut album, so expect it to improve in time. But meanwhile, there are glaring holes in certain places that are just begging to be fixed. One example that comes to mind is the chorus of "Dear Valentine," which starts out with the vocals, "Whoa oh oh oh oh..." and then just leaves the song hanging for one change in chord progression (instruments still going of course) before jumping back in with vocals again. The lyrics are also, more or less, lacking; while they prove to be more enjoyable than All Time Low's lyrics, lines like "Save the day / Come take this all away come on now / Whoa... oh..." leave listeners longing for a little more... vocabulary.
At the end of the day, don't take Time and Color too seriously. Lyrical topics do deal with finding hope and other positive subjects, but musically, this is a rock-out record. Look for Burning Tree Project to blow up in the near future and be prepared to claim you found them first.
Holyfield, Spitalfield, pop punk with heavier chords, former gangsters
myspace.com/btp (http://www.myspace.com/btp)
Record Label: Disco Tech Records
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Imagine you're walking home alone from a July 4th firework extravaganza blast at the local senior center (which also happens to be the only place where you can win a race). As you walk, nightfall settles in and due to a short lapse in memory, you find that you are hopelessly lost. You turn the corner into a dark alleyway when you hear a rustling noise. You turn around and find that you are surrounded by six original gangsters. You assess your options and realize you're better off complying to their wishes, even if it means giving up your favorite hair straightener you're carrying in your back pocket. All of a sudden, your captors pull out guitars, drums & basses and mics & keyboards before they start rocking out in a manner closer to Valencia than Ice-T. Turns out, they don't want your hair straightener, they just want to rock you.
Such is the attitude in which Burning Tree Project approaches listeners, only they back it up with a captivating background story. If you are or have been involved in the gang scene, you may have seen vocalist Enik Lin around before. The guy sports a gunshot wound (no kidding!) from his former life of drugs and obsession with pecuniary matters. As if that doesn't already spice things up, the band also consists of two African-Americans (keyboards, drums). Let me bring up the fact that Burning Tree Project is a powerpop project. A former gangster and two African-Americans in a powerpop project? Sold! I'm hooked! Sounds better than All Time Low already.
But so as to not make this band also seem invincible musically, it should be noticed that this is, of course, powerpop. There's a limit to the creativity that flows from this genre and while Burning Tree Project are no exception, they certainly still bring the headbang.
"Dear Valentine" opens the modestly-sized EP and the pop/rock sound is evident from the opening line. Though the track is one of the weaker ones, it still serves as a good hook, seeing that fans of this genre are mostly teenagers anyway. The song gives all it has, and then promptly moves on to "Hero." The smashing single is the first of several tracks on the EP where you'll just want to drop what you're doing and go crazy (hey, this is one of those summer records). This is pretty much the case with the rest of the record ("Put Your Helmet On," "Less Of Me More Of You"); songs crafted purely to assist you this summer in one the main ways you'll lose calories.
Guitarists Johnny Mora and Scott Corgan (also the only Caucasians in the band) do a decent job complimenting the production's mellow tone, scattering it with power chords and spiraling riffs all throughout the record. You might even hear a few solos here and there if you're lucky (hint: "Put Your Helmet On"). While Enik's vocals are a tad bit winy, they fit in okay with the songs while showcasing an incredible vocal range for an Asian man. You'll also hear splatters of electronic keyboarding here and there and the rhythm section adds all a pop/rock band needs.
In addition to the minor lack of originality (which actually won't bother many because it is, as mentioned before, powerpop), the songwriting seems to reveal the band's inexperience in writing tunes. Granted, this is the debut album, so expect it to improve in time. But meanwhile, there are glaring holes in certain places that are just begging to be fixed. One example that comes to mind is the chorus of "Dear Valentine," which starts out with the vocals, "Whoa oh oh oh oh..." and then just leaves the song hanging for one change in chord progression (instruments still going of course) before jumping back in with vocals again. The lyrics are also, more or less, lacking; while they prove to be more enjoyable than All Time Low's lyrics, lines like "Save the day / Come take this all away come on now / Whoa... oh..." leave listeners longing for a little more... vocabulary.
At the end of the day, don't take Time and Color too seriously. Lyrical topics do deal with finding hope and other positive subjects, but musically, this is a rock-out record. Look for Burning Tree Project to blow up in the near future and be prepared to claim you found them first.
Holyfield, Spitalfield, pop punk with heavier chords, former gangsters
myspace.com/btp (http://www.myspace.com/btp)