MILLIONTOWN

With so much potential in this band, I have to say I was let down. I got this album, like other, from the great reviews it got, and the potential I saw with the band members. I suppose the big hype about this album put on too much expectation. The musicianship on the album is superb. These guys know how to play; but there just seems to be lacking something. It's as though they where afraid to take these songs further and just wanted to play it safe.

The one thing I really like about this album is the tweaked out computerized sounds. It reminds me of early 'sonic the hedgehog' music. If you want specific examples of this, it can be heard on the tracks 'The Other Me' at 3:20 minuets in, and 'Black Light Machine' at 7:15 minuets in. If the album had followed these examples and used this kind of technique more and explored its use, it would have earned a very nice place in my play list. But since these sounds are far and few between, it just seems bland.

Besides the tweaked out computerized sounds, there are also some other upsides to this album. The first song 'Hyperventilation' is a truly gem and beautiful. It has an amazing atmosphere to the song and a very grand sound.

The other song that was really enjoyable was the last song, the big, grand 26 minuet song, which earned the albums title: 'Milliontown'. But.and this is a big but.in terms of big, grand 20+ minuet songs, it, like the album as a whole, falls short. There are many truly beautiful sounds and parts in this song, but it's scattered. The best part is at 16 minuets, which shares the same sound that I loved in 'Hyperventilation'. But again, they only use it for a couple of minuets and then moves back into the safe sound that makes the album fall short to true beauty.

The other songs, for me personally, just drag the album down. The second song 'No You No Me' tries to be a 'hard rock metal' song, and falls flat on its face. It's a typical 'it worked for other countless bands, so why not us' song. 'Snowman' has a really neat synthesized flute sound, but goes no where with it. It was very disappointing to hear such a neat sound go no where, almost hurtful to know there is potential that isn't being used.

'The Other Me', besides the previously noted complement, is pretty bland. It's the same thing for just fewer than five minuets. It sounds like they where trying to keep this song radio friendly, or something, and it carries on in 'Black Light Machine'. Bland; bland; bland; for the exception for a few minuets of very nice computerized sounds.

For the final verdict of this album: there are a few very beautiful moments, but the rest of the album drags it down too much. It felt like watching a movie with amazing and convincing acting, but with a script that went nowhere, and had a lot of plot-holes.

The three stars are for those incredibly beautiful moments. When it rains, it pours; when it's good, it's beautiful; when it's bad, it's painful.