Recover
“This May Be the Year I Disappear”
Universal Records
Sometimes you want to pull for a band; you want to like what they have to offer. But sometimes you just can’t.
Case in point: Recover.
Here’s a great (alternative?) rock band, implementing some elements here and there from to its sound from the emo and hardcore genres. Hell, the band even breaks out the vox box (made famous in the late ’80s by guitarists such as Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi (“Livin’ on a Prayer”) and Mick Mars of Motley Crue (“Kickstart my Heart”) — the distorted vocal effect forced through the guitar).
It seems, with all these inputs, that the real problem with the band is that it just lacks direction. Sure, Recover is a rock band (think Switchfoot, only strip away the pop sheen), but the band’s “sound” just seems to lack that certain “it” quality that makes you sit up and take notice, or, at the very least, be able to pull the band out of a crowd.
However, for everything that Recover isn’t, there are some bright points on the band’s latest release, “This May be the Year I Disappear.”
For one, the vox box on the album’s opening track, “Night of the Creeps,” is a nice touch. There’s a pretty good guitar solo towards the end of the song too.
One of the album’s stronger tracks, “Disappear,” almost sounds like a Weezer track with an edge — the vocals are catchy; there’s a phenomenal bridge right before the choruses with a really interesting vocal effect making the song take on an ethereal demeanor. Towards the middle of the track this atmosphere is duplicated in a whale song-like feedback of guitar.
There are tiny moment of brilliance all over the album: the chorus for “Slower” really seethes with desperation; there’s just the right amount of catchy-ness throughout “Fuck Me for Free” in the vocal delivery and overall sound of the song; there’s a great guitar solo tacked onto “La,” which is definitely the best song on the album.
Sadly, for all these good points, there’s just too much bogging down Recover on this release. The lyrics seem haphazard at times, at others just poorly conceived. On the whole, the music is less-than-inspired. In no way does the band sound bad, it’s just in listening to Recover you aren’t hearing anything new. It’s like getting excited to check out a movie you’ve just rented, and then realizing you’ve already seen it four times and you only sort of liked it to begin with: sure, there are parts you like, parts that grab your attention, but in the end, you are left feeling hollow.
The vocals swing from rock-like growls to a more pop-punk chant. You aren’t sure what to expect from one track to the next. Sure, bands can have a diversity when it comes to vocals, but only after a set vocal style is in place (this is what I mean by the band sounding unfocused?). Even the acoustic track seems forced and out of place — like the band just wanted to throw something on there for indie-cred (plus, what was the point at only 41 seconds?).
There could be bigger things in Recover’s future, but only if someone can point the band in some sort of discernable direction.
