Power pop is not dead; it’s alive, well and has taken the form
of the Hoboken, New Jersey-based trio Shades Apart.
After slugging it out for years on independent labels and
building up a respectable discography, the band –
vocalist/guitarist Marc V., bassist/vocalist Kevin Lynch and
drummer Ed Brown – have finally hit the big time with their major
label debut
Eyewitness, and they make their mark felt quickly and
repeatedly. If there was one band I had to pick as the one to watch
in 1999, these would be the guys I’d choose in a heartbeat.
Despite their punk rock leanings, Shades Apart is, at its core,
a pop band who just happen to know how to put some barre-chorded
muscle behind their music. Early into the album, one realizes this
as tracks like “Sputnik,” “Stranger By The Day” and “100 Days” all
unfold to show themselves as the gems they are.
Normally, I’d be able to pick one song out of the bunch as the
highlight, but in the case of Shades Apart, it’s impossible. Do I
point out the reggae-like riffs melting into a frenzied chorus in
“100 Days”? Do I call attention to the tango-like beats of
“Stranger By The Day”, culminating in the classical guitar outro?
Or do I mention the all-out pop frenzy and spectacular guitar work
on “Sputnik”? It’s impossible to choose, and I can’t – no, change
that, I
won’t. They’re all too damn good.
Just when you think that there are no more surprises on
Eyewitness, Shades Apart hits you upside the head with a
twist from out of nowhere. There’s the opening guitar riff on the
first single “Valentine” that suggests someone watching old movies
and trying to reclaim a past that is not theirs to take anymore. I
swear, the first time I heard this song, I was almost in tears on
that riff alone. Or maybe it’s the closing one-two punch of
“Gabrielle” and “Speed Of Light” that reminds the listener just how
good this band is as they’re saying their goodbyes for the moment –
at least until you hit the “play” button on the CD player
again.
Is everything on
Eyewitness stellar? Honestly, no, but even the weaker
moments aren’t anything to be ashamed of. Tracks like “Time
Machine” and “Second Chances” might not be on the same level as the
bulk of the material on
Eyewitness, but something tells me that these tracks would
have stood out on any other album.
Shades Apart is a band with a very bright future, and
Eyewitness is a first-person account of their first step
towards superstardom.
