One Ring Zero- Wake Them Up

Phew. This may be one of the most difficult posts I've ever made. Not because of the disc or the contents, it's because of the runaround I've had for the last hour getting hassled by my computer, and then Bloggers new home. It's enough to make one reconsider the commitment they have to a project like this. Loved by many, read by few.

Anyway, moving forward, I'd like to share with you today a few thoughts about One Ring Zero. Pitched as being in the same vein as The Decemberists and The Polyphonic Spree, I can safely say they probably lean more towards The Decemberists, and I speak as someone who has never heard their music! At times their sound resembles The Polyphonic Spree, and when it does, I have the same thought occur to me. What would you get if TPS were in a horrific bus crash, killing about 90 percent of the band, including the dancers and background singers? You'd not only get One Ring Zero, but you'd get the sound of them mourning the crash. Melancholy is the word of the day on this disc. It's certainly not bad, but I get the distinct feeling that they tried WAY too hard to sound like the other guy.
Listen. Write the music. Make the music. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. I LOVE TPS, and you're just not them. (Okay, it's offical. Listening to Adrian Belew when typing can REALLY mess with ones thought process!)
Everything I heard on this disc was pretty midtempo and mellow. Some songs were interesting, but I did not know the meaning behind the lyrics (Here Come the Mannequins) and others were interesting in their attempt to match someone else's sound (A Moving World). I would have liked to hear more stand out tracks. Maybe some nice thoughtful lyrics.. or something slightly more uptempo, or even a song that doesn't sound like a Guatemalan death march would be good! I kid, I kid, sorta.
I will say that I would love to hear another effort from these guys, but without outside influences. I want to hear the music from their gut.. their heart. Then they may be on to something! In the meantime, I have to give it an anemic C+. Why? Dunno, just gotta.