On this solo record by Saigon Kick guitarist and songwriter Jason Bieler, he takes what he used on the last few SK records and tries to go down a different path than his metal band.
From the onset, “Keep Calm and Carry On” is a throwaway pop song, something one would’ve found on Water or one of those lesser Saigon Kick records. While “Satellite” is a decent enough song with some good vocals, there’s really nothing grand or spectacular about this disc.
“Violent World” is a bit more experimental and shows Bieler stretching out a bit with decent results; nothing outstanding but solid enough. The same thing goes for “Led by Voices,” which feels like something off of The Lizard but the track is just ok; with a few exceptions, there really isn’t a whole lot that’s eye-opening or mind blowing to be found here.
Thankfully, “No Real Goodbyes” is a real standout; good vocals, excellent piano work and just an all-around great vibe — really one of the more fantastic tracks Bieler has done that isn’t on Bandcamp. The closing track “True North” is a nice little electronic ballad and is a nice way to end things here. Definitely shows how interesting of a writer and musician Bieler is and makes nice use of his talents.
Ultimately, the album isn’t one of the best records of the year, not by a longshot, but a decent enough disc anyway that’s worthy of a few plays for a couple of tracks.
