CATCH WITHOUT ARMS

Good thing I waited awhile to review this one. My first impression was POPPY CRAP! Ode to the Sun was ok, so was The Tanbark is Hot Lava, but the rest sounded like pop sellout crap to me. I put it away, almost gave it away...glad I didn't. Fast forward a couple months, and I have an MP3 player. I ripped the CD to my MP3 player, and, bored the next day, I listen through again to Catch Wihtout Arms. My oh my...Bug Eyes knocked my socks off. Ode to the Sun was just how I remembered it...not bad, and a good opener, but damn...how did I miss the beauty of Bug Eyes the first time through? Or second? Or third? And Sang Real too, and Jamais Vu, and Catch Without Arms, and Hung Over on a Tuesday. I think this is one of the few bands (Porcupine Tree and Pineapple Thief being the other two) that can actually make decent pop-ish music. Nevermind decent, PTree and Dredg make EXCELLENT music, no matter the genre, and PThief makes pretty good music for pop alternative-ish stuff.

So basically, this is what mainstream music should be, but isn't. A rare gem indeed.The album, however, is a bit too incosistent at the end for it to get a truly good score form me. About half the songs are great, and I mean REALLY great, while the rest are just OK...I don't know what the final score is gonna be until I finish the review though. Song time:

Ode to the Sun: Pretty good opener. Probabaly the worst singing in the beginning on the album, but the chorus isn't bad. The guitar work here is definitely good, especially right before and during the chorus. It's simple, but very effective. I really do like the drummer though, he's definitely making it happen and has very appropriate drummign every song. Good opener. Not awesome, but definitely good. 7/10

Bug Eyes: OMG. This song is amazing. So much emotion, a great interlude when the song is half done: "It's been ten years strong / that's much too long...", great drumming and overall such a powerful song. This song feels like it was made to make you feel better and worse at the same time, much like songs by Porcupine Tree. Amazing song. 10/10

Catch Without Arms: This song reminds me of Maroon 5, oddly. It's a good song, but not what a title track should be. It should be stronger. The chorus isn't bad, but the part preceding it is the best part, although it's short. I love the ending too, very serene. 8/10

Not That Simple: This song should refer to the drumming! Damn, the drumming should not be that simple, especially after the great drumming of the previous songs. This is a big meh song. Lacks the power of Bug Eyes, the great appropriate guitar work of Ode to the Sun, nothing makes it stand out. I mean, it's not bad, but it's way too simple, ironically. 6/10

Zebraskin: Kinda a peaceful funk feel here, kinda sweet. The chorus and lyrics are great, as usual, and some nice...no, GREAT use of keyboards. Minimalistic guitar work as usual, but it all works seamlessly. Good song. 8/10

The Tanbark is Hot Lava: The heaviest song on the album, if you can call it heavy. It's kinda meh, nothing too special.There's not much to write about, fast and pretty heavy. 6/10

Sang Real: The other amazing blow-your-load song here. Great drumming, powerful as hell chorus, great everything. You have to hear it to properly experience it, so no use describing it. Just know: I'd buy the entire album just for this song. 10/10

Plant Seeds: Take everything I said about Ode to the Sun and paste it here. These songs are virtually identical in structure and feel. 7/10

Spitshine: This song is too happy and too typical. It's a very typical Dredg song for this album, nothing special about it. It's not memorable either. Meh. 5/10

Jamais Vu: Pretty good song here, great singing and harmonies. It's the standard Dredg song with more emotion and great singing. 8/10

Hung Over on a Tuesday: The other heavy song on the album, this one does it much better than Hot Lava. It's got some great rhythms in it and some good singing that really does feel right with the music, unlike Hot Lava again. 9/10

Matroshka (The Ornament): Happy song. This one is a good one for the first 3 minute...but it's five mintues long, and it fades out with one of the best ways to close an album I've ever seen. So this song gets 10/10 just because it's the absolutely perfect way to end this album. 10/10

Once again, great album, but a bit too inconsistent at the end of the day. *listens to Bug Eyes*

Heavy parts: 7/10 Soft parts: 8.5/10 Creativity/Originality: 8/10 Variety: 6/10 Musicianship: 7/10 Lasting Appeal: 9/10 Ode to the Sun: 7/10 Bug Eyes: 10/10 Catch Without Arms: 8/10 Not That Simple: 6/10 Zebraskin: 8/10 The Tanbark is Hot Lava: 6/10 Sang Real: 10/10 Plant Seeds: 7/10 Spitshine: 5/10 Jamais Vu: 8/10 Hung Over on a Tuesday: 9/10 Matroshka (The Ornament): 10/10

Total score: 131/181 = .72 = 72% Final Score: 3/5. Good, but get El Cielo instead. Or get this for Bug Eyes and Sang Real.