SPITALFIELD
"Better
Than Knowing Where You Are" (Victory Records; 2006)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
On "Better Than Knowing Where You Are," there's a lot of 80s rock Spitalfield doesn't bother to hide, as well as alt-rock radio transplanting and good old middle America Indie rock portions, too.
Not as sugary sweet as Hawthorne Heights (yet getting close at times), Spitalfield produces just enough syrup to adorn tracks like "The Only Thing That Matters." Revealing rugged twin guitars and a unspectacular but solid vocal performance throughout, "...Listen" and "Lasting First Impression" seamlessly joins Foo Fighter-esque crescendos with Jimmy Eat World-like melodies, as this group's third CD still manages to grab your attention with those damn hooky choruses gracing tracks like "Tell Me, Clarice" and the fist-pumping pop punk title track.
Other bands from this Chicago quartet's peer group have gone on to accomplish great things, and this 12-track disc is Spitalfield's permit to enter that realm.
For more information, check out http://www.spitalfield.net.
Spitalfield: Mark Rose, Jose Romero, TJ Milici and Jeff Meilander.
"Stop
Doing Bad Things" (Victory Records; 2005)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
The emo banner is still flying,
and Chicago’s Spitalfield now finds itself at the head of the class with this,
their sophomore effort, "Stop Doing Bad Things." The 11-track sojourn
comes after over two years on the road for the quartet, and it displays the
outfit’s new found maturity, as tracks like “The Future is Now” and
“Texa$ with a Dollar Sign” rock out first with the shades of sensitivity
lagging only slightly behind.
The problem with this disc is that "Stop Doing Bad Things" is pretty interchangeable with a lot of what’s impacting rock radio and college campuses these days - a kind of amalgamation of Jimmy Eats World and Taking Back Sunday with dashes of Fall Out Boy.
Nevertheless, this release contains the sound the industry is shoving down the public’s throats, and might just thrust Spitalfield to the next level.
For more information, check out http://www.spitalfield.net.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2007 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 01 Apr 2024 11:14:17 -0500.
