Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

One of the biggest problems I encounter with up and coming bands is a lack of all around talent; either it's a group of amazing musicians being led by a mediorce lead singer or a talented vocalist with a subpar musical accompaniment. Thankfully, Sick City is neither of these types; they are the rare vocally and musically talented band... you know, the ones that your parents bragged about and you just thought were a myth, like fish in platforms or women actually being surprised to find out George Michael was gay.

Lead singer Josh Youngson does an amazing job of being heard over the raging guitars accompanying him, but never once during the songs does he overshadow them with his powerful voice, making it possible for both to shine on their own individual platforms.

Hailing from the Prairie tundra in Winnipeg, Manitoba, this five piece has been together for a year, proving that time means nothing when you have talent. Comprised of front man Josh Youngson, bassist T.J Stevenson, drummer Joel Neufeld, and both Dorian Paszkowski and Dave Grabowski on guitar, this band compresses all of their musical styles into one unique form that's all their own.

In spite of all the nice things I have to say about Sick City, there is one flaw that must be pointed out. Opening track Antoinette, though daring to be different from every other song on the CD, goes bust within seconds of the song begining. When I first played the song, and believe me it was on repeat for quite sometime as I tried to find something nice to say about it, my initial thought was it sounds like My Chemical Romance decided to play fairy godmother to Sick City and gave them the gift of unoriginality. Honestly, this should've been left off the CD, let alone made the opening track, it leaves the kind of impression on the listener that makes them envy Marie Antoniette, loosely referenced throughout the song, and wish they too could be beheaded just to make this song end.

It is generally easy for me to pick stand-out tracks on a CD, but with Nightlife this is not the case, if I could I would recommend the entire thing -- minus Antoinette. But because I can't, I'll give a detailed top 5. First, XX & XY should've been the opener, it's not as strong as other tracks on the album, but it's better than what they chose. It sets a great tone for the CD and leaves the listener in anticipation for what will happen next. Second, Turning Heads, goes along with the current trend in music that if a group stops the music and lets the lead singer go "OH OH OH-WA-OH" to the sound of a single drum beat, it's an anthem; but it's still a winner. Killing Ourselves to Feel and In the Millions are two of the lyrically best on the whole album. But it's track 7, The Heist, that really shows all this band's potential. Previous hints of amateur writing are cast aside in this song which redeems the band, showing every hint of what they can be with a little bit more time.

Although their lyrics show some amateurish signs, Sick City shows great promise and I look forward to what this group comes up with in the future.