Gregory Robson
03/13/09, 02:56 PM
The Chuck Shaffer Picture Show- For Your Eyes Only
Record Label: Self-Released
Release Date: Jan. 27, 2009
The Harrisonburg, VA quartet The Chuck Shaffer Picture Show, affectionately known as CSPS, has been playing music together since 2001 when vocalist Ryan Johnson and guitarist Kenny Kominic were part of the band Savory. That band's swan song was an an EP titled The Chuck Shaffer Picture Show (In Hi-Fi), which begs the question: Who exactly is Chuck Shaffer and why does his name serve as inspiration for said band? A simple Google search reveals a Chuck Shaffer who was arrested for using the Internet to lure pre-teens into sex, which isn't exactly the kind of hero one chooses to name a band after. Whoever Chuck Shaffer is he'd be proud that CSPS has produced a near radio-ready mix of modern rock.
CSPS' debut album For Your Eyes Only was produced and engineered by Floridian Justin Thomas (Faktion, Dark New Day, Alter Bridge, Between the Trees) and mastered in New York City by Nathan James (Staind, The Fray), so it's easy to see where the band draws its modern rock influences. Of course the most obvious comparison is Canadian whipping boys Nickelback. Whether this is a popular opinion or not, the fact of the matter is Nickelback is a corporate cash cow. In the past decade they have made millions off of writing simple, easy-to-please rock songs. None of them are too conventional, most are gimmicky and more often than not they are uninspiring and banal. Despite this, their music finds a niche audience and has done so for the better part of a decade. The music of CSPS borrows a lot of the hallmarks of the Nickelback sound. The songs are simple, conventional and easy-to-please, if not a bit uninspiring. Do not misread that to mean this music sounds like Nickelback, in fact it sounds more like SR-71 or the Christian-rock band RED, but the point is For Your Eyes Only is undeniably melodic and will find a nice audience in due time.
Mid-tempo title track "Breakdown (For Your Eyes Only)," borrows a bit from Switchfoot and it's modestly compelling and one of the album's highlights. The band shows their diversity on "A Room Called Hope," a pleasing ballad that features help from Australia's Orchestra X, whose saturnine strings adds a texture and richness, that rises above the rest of the tracklist. Ditching their modern rock angle, the band goes for pop/punk on "Circles" and it's effective, catchy and mildly memorable. Their best song though is a near-six minute instrumental named "Mercury," which actually starts off tepid but heats up and proves to be a winner. If the radio-ready format doesn't lead CSPS to success, instrumental might not be a bad route to take.
The rest of the disc is pretty uninspiring all the way around. Save for tenth track "Different Place," a soaring number that seems destined for modern rock radio, no other songs on here stand out. Though the disc's overall impact is relatively thin, that's not to say the band isn't worth listening to. Truth be told, CSPS has an obvious innate sense for melody and could probably write catchy pop songs in any genre. Did they play it safe a little bit here? Absolutely. Do we fault them? Not entirely. Yes this album could be a bit more daring, but it's not exactly a wash either. Ryan Johnson's vocals have their moments, though at other times they definitely sound lost and disoriented. The quartet's lyrics, while hopeful and optimistic, don't leave much to the imagination either. There's nothing entirely acerbic, ponderous or charismatic that's worth remembering either. In fact, a good chunk of this album is downright run-of-the-mill. Those problems, along with the aforementioned others is what separates this band from any serious accolades. And yet despite all this, it feels almost assured that these Virginia rockers will find their niche audience and land themselves opening gigs in some of the country's biggest arenas. And for that, we can blame Nickelback.
Recommended If You Like: Three Days Grace, Daughtry, Hinder, Nickelback, SR-71
http://www.myspace.com/csps
Record Label: Self-Released
Release Date: Jan. 27, 2009
The Harrisonburg, VA quartet The Chuck Shaffer Picture Show, affectionately known as CSPS, has been playing music together since 2001 when vocalist Ryan Johnson and guitarist Kenny Kominic were part of the band Savory. That band's swan song was an an EP titled The Chuck Shaffer Picture Show (In Hi-Fi), which begs the question: Who exactly is Chuck Shaffer and why does his name serve as inspiration for said band? A simple Google search reveals a Chuck Shaffer who was arrested for using the Internet to lure pre-teens into sex, which isn't exactly the kind of hero one chooses to name a band after. Whoever Chuck Shaffer is he'd be proud that CSPS has produced a near radio-ready mix of modern rock.
CSPS' debut album For Your Eyes Only was produced and engineered by Floridian Justin Thomas (Faktion, Dark New Day, Alter Bridge, Between the Trees) and mastered in New York City by Nathan James (Staind, The Fray), so it's easy to see where the band draws its modern rock influences. Of course the most obvious comparison is Canadian whipping boys Nickelback. Whether this is a popular opinion or not, the fact of the matter is Nickelback is a corporate cash cow. In the past decade they have made millions off of writing simple, easy-to-please rock songs. None of them are too conventional, most are gimmicky and more often than not they are uninspiring and banal. Despite this, their music finds a niche audience and has done so for the better part of a decade. The music of CSPS borrows a lot of the hallmarks of the Nickelback sound. The songs are simple, conventional and easy-to-please, if not a bit uninspiring. Do not misread that to mean this music sounds like Nickelback, in fact it sounds more like SR-71 or the Christian-rock band RED, but the point is For Your Eyes Only is undeniably melodic and will find a nice audience in due time.
Mid-tempo title track "Breakdown (For Your Eyes Only)," borrows a bit from Switchfoot and it's modestly compelling and one of the album's highlights. The band shows their diversity on "A Room Called Hope," a pleasing ballad that features help from Australia's Orchestra X, whose saturnine strings adds a texture and richness, that rises above the rest of the tracklist. Ditching their modern rock angle, the band goes for pop/punk on "Circles" and it's effective, catchy and mildly memorable. Their best song though is a near-six minute instrumental named "Mercury," which actually starts off tepid but heats up and proves to be a winner. If the radio-ready format doesn't lead CSPS to success, instrumental might not be a bad route to take.
The rest of the disc is pretty uninspiring all the way around. Save for tenth track "Different Place," a soaring number that seems destined for modern rock radio, no other songs on here stand out. Though the disc's overall impact is relatively thin, that's not to say the band isn't worth listening to. Truth be told, CSPS has an obvious innate sense for melody and could probably write catchy pop songs in any genre. Did they play it safe a little bit here? Absolutely. Do we fault them? Not entirely. Yes this album could be a bit more daring, but it's not exactly a wash either. Ryan Johnson's vocals have their moments, though at other times they definitely sound lost and disoriented. The quartet's lyrics, while hopeful and optimistic, don't leave much to the imagination either. There's nothing entirely acerbic, ponderous or charismatic that's worth remembering either. In fact, a good chunk of this album is downright run-of-the-mill. Those problems, along with the aforementioned others is what separates this band from any serious accolades. And yet despite all this, it feels almost assured that these Virginia rockers will find their niche audience and land themselves opening gigs in some of the country's biggest arenas. And for that, we can blame Nickelback.
Recommended If You Like: Three Days Grace, Daughtry, Hinder, Nickelback, SR-71
http://www.myspace.com/csps