First spin: Skip it. Second spin: Meh.
Third spin: Skip it. Fourth spin: Meh.
This was the pattern that took shape
after listening to I Am the Avalanche’s
latest pop-punk effort, “Avalanche United.”
The Brooklyn based band has received a great
deal of press and hype from rock blogs and
magazines since their inception in 2004,
and the release of “Avalanche United” was
no different. But after running through it
multiple times, it’s tough to see what all the
fuss is about.
It’s got to be tough when your front man
sabotages your record. While the guitarist
or bassist can sometimes get away with
being the weak link in a band, when the least
impressive member is the one you can’t ignore,
the odds are stacked against you. Vinnie
Caruana, formerly of The Movielife and
Head Automatica, does his best Chuck Ragan
impression with his throaty post hardcore
shouts and screams, and for the most part his
voice sounds great and fits the band’s sound
perfectly. But it’s not how his voice sounds; it’s
what he does with it that’s the problem.
Caruana’s lyrics and vocal styling are
often awkward and uninteresting, which
is disappointing because what he’s saying
is truly heartfelt and genuine. For the most
part, he’s just talking rhythmically. While
he can craft the occasional big hook, most of
what he does runs on, and falls apart with
each tacked-on line. When that cadence
continues throughout the record, it becomes
hard to invest in the songs, no matter how
passionate they are.
On the upside, when the “Avalanche
United” is good, it’s really good. “Brooklyn
Dodgers” is the album’s best track, along
with “Is this Really Happening”, “Casey’s
Song”, “Gratitude”, and “The Place you
Love is Gone.” But these are less than half
of the record and with more competent acts
like Banner Pilot and Title Fight releasing
material this year, and the ever-present
discographies of forefather acts like Hot
Water Music and The Lawrence Arms, you
can do better than “Avalanche United.”
