For every band who has an original sound, I can name a dozen
\nothers who gracefully mix their influences into their own
\ncompositions – as well as hundreds of bands who rip their mentors
\noff blind.<\/p>\n
The alternative quartet Tonic falls in the second group – their
\ninfluences are as varied as the songs on their debut disc
\nLemon Parade<\/i> – and while the disc has some excellent
\nmoments, it may have been better to focus on one or two influences
\ninstead of treating their first album like an encyclopedia.<\/p>\n
The first single “Open Up Your Eyes” is a track that, quite
\nfrankly, is like no other I’ve heard in some time. Immediately
\ncatchy with a great riff-based chorus, vocalist\/guitarist Emerson
\nHart leads this band into some exciting, uncharted waters. The
\nguitar work of Hart and Jeff Russo, and the solid backbone of
\nbassist Dan Rothchild and drummer Kevin Shepard provide the
\nlistener with one intense trip that ends way too soon.<\/p>\n
The path continues with the second single, “If You Could Only
\nSee,” a song which is both enchanting and entertaining. The vocal
\nharmonies this band produces are quite touching at times, and this
\nsong is one I just don’t get tired of hearing on the radio.<\/p>\n
If only the remainder of
\nLemon Parade<\/i> were like this. Once you get past the original
\nsounds, the influences sometimes become overpowering. At one time
\nor another, I heard The Beatles, Free, Led Zeppelin and October
\nProject (the last one on the track “Celtic Aggression,” one of the
\nbest on the album) – and those are the ones I can remember throwing
\nthis review together minutes before deadline. The uses of the
\ninfluences are not overbearing nor are they rip-offs (which is a
\nrelief), but the album becomes mired down quickly, and it soon
\nbecomes difficult to get through the CD in one sitting.<\/p>\n
This is not an album you want to listen to when you’re in a foul
\nmood, the singles being notable exceptions. Maybe this was part of
\nthe problem – I gave the album a final listen this evening, and my
\nmood could only be described as “pissed-off depressed.” When you’re
\nlike this, songs like “My Old Man” become just a tad too dreary to
\nlisten to. Others like the title track reveal themselves to be
\nquite beautiful, but they won’t help pick up your mood. (The title
\ntrack actually makes me think of Mrs. Thelen and her life before we
\nmet.)<\/p>\n
It’s not that Tonic didn’t try or failed. They are a very
\ntalented band who know not only how to draw on their influences but
\nalso how to write solid, interesting songs. They enlisted the help
\nof ace producer Jack Joseph Puig (who did wonders for the Black
\nCrowes on their criminally overlooked
\nThree Snakes And One Charm<\/i>), though I’m not always convinced
\nhe was the best choice for this band. They have fought the
\ndifficult battle of getting on the airwaves, and they’ve had decent
\nsuccess in that area.<\/p>\n
If anything,
\nLemon Parade<\/i> may be a tad too serious. Sure, cuts like
\n“Mountain” and “Mr. Golden Deal” are good, but the band may need to
\ntake a small step back and not dwell too much on the cerebral. (Not
\nthat I want them to become as lightweight as New Kids On The block
\n– I don’t mind being challenged to think when I listen to an album,
\nbut I don’t feel like taking the entrance exam for Mensa.)<\/p>\n
Despite being a bit weighty,
\nLemon Parade<\/i> is a good effort from an exciting young band –
\none who, I think still have their best moments ahead of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[5799],"rating":[5612],"class_list":["post-35693","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-tonic","rating-rating-b-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/35693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/35693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35693"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=35693"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=35693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}