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"American Postcard" is, at
best, one of those records that you blame for speeding tickets.
With the top down, hair flowing wildly in the wind, and the four
boys from Lebanon, New Hampshire playing on your car speakers,
it’s easy to forget how fast you’re going, where you’re
going, or how to get there. Appropriately, you may have heard
Motorplant’s music on the MTV series "Road Rules."
With three full-length albums under their belt, Motorplant seems
poised to break out into heavy rotation on mainstream rock radio
stations everywhere. They follow the formula similar to many of
the pop punk crowd of bands that have cropped up recently such
as Blink 182, Eve 6, and American Hi-Fi: Plug guitar in. Hit
distortion pedal. Play four chords. Mix well. And the result is
just what you’d expect: fun, but less than original.
Some aspects of the album are
better than others. Steve Blanchard, the band’s hip vocalist,
sounds like a male Gwen Steffani crossed with Raine Maida of Our
Lady Peace. Throughout most of the album, two guitars work
happily together to add a little variety to the mostly simple
rhythm parts. The melodic bass musings often take control of the
situation, adding to the heart of the song without taking away
from it.
"Stuck Inside" is the
proverbial rollicking road song. It’s a earful of fun that you
can’t help getting stuck in your head. "Smell The
Fear" weaves a musical tale of frustration and despair.
"Take the time to feel the wrath of me. 'Cause I'm in
trouble for my apathy again," Blanchard sings amidst chunks
of meaty guitar. "Wounded" features a massive chorus
of heartfelt vocals that are about as despairing as punk pop can
get. Parts of "Rift" sounds eerily similar to "My
World" by Axl Rose and the crew with the interesting style
of guttural rapping during the verse, but then the chorus
returns to the typical minor key punk song.
This disc may take you a few
listens before you start getting into it. Then again, it may
take you only a few listens before you throw it away. It’s not
bad, but not terribly original. Some of the songs have all the
makings of high school love anthems. Some, such as
"Postcard" get old quickly with Blanchard’s fake
vibrato and the punk "woah"s that highlight the
chorus. For the most part, the album is fun, light pop rock
occasionally venturing into the more introspective, moody
numbers that give it that much needed variety. So how many
speeding tickets is "American Postcard" worth? Maybe
two. After that, it might make a good Frisbee or a beer coaster.
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| Artist |
Motorplant |
| Title |
American Postcard |
| Label |
Shiretown Records |
| Reviewer |
Shelby Rushing |
| Rating |
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| website |
www.motorplant.com |
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