Oh my…this band is bad, really, really, bad. I should have noticed by the warning signs.
First of all, they are a Nirvana wanna be band. It isn’t that I absolutely hate Nirvana, but I just don’t want to be exposed more than I really have to. Vary rarely do wanna be band’s work out, because they don’t really bring anything musically to the world, just rehash old concepts.
Secondly, I decided to borrow the album from a friend, so that I could rip it onto my hard-drive. (Jesus, I am such a music stealing bastard) When I asked him if I could borrow it he said sure. So, I ripped the music, not listening to a single song, and planned on giving it to him the next day. Just when I had my hand outstretched with the cd, my friend said, “Yeah, actually you can keep it.” That guy just doesn’t usually go around giving albums away, probably because he is quite the penny pincher.
Thirdly, the name of the album is level 4. Have any of you ever played RPG’s? That is just about the lamest possible level to be at. We all know that it is the buffer level before level 5, where you learn your next cool technique or spell. Being level 4 sucks, just like this album, so, at the very least, the name suits well.
Despite all of the warning signs, I listened to the whole album straight, and boy do I feel like a masochist after that torture.
I think the most adequate way to explain this album would be to separate it according to the instruments. I will start out with what I will always notice first in music, the drumming. It is actually pretty good. The beats are diggable, but the fills seem really uninspired. I would go with saying that the drummer is slightly above average. The songs Everyday and Kill Pop really showcase some talent that is brought down severely by a crappy band.
Next, let’s move on to the bass. Oh wait there is a bass? Actually the bass is pretty prominent throughout the album, it just seems pretty boring to me. It is like I only hear three notes played over and over again on each song.
The guitar, an instrument that can make an infinite amount of different riffs, which I presume the guitarist never learned. The only song that sounds different is Kill Pop. In fact, most songs sound the same because of this goofball, thanks for making the others sound bad…erm…worse.
I saved the best for last. Except by best I mean the absolute worst. These vocals are like a cat on crack scratching a chalkboard. Kurt Cobain’s voice was appreciated because it was unique. It was just how he sounded. Kurt could put emotion into his voice and it was pretty real. The vocals in this album are bad, and are really forced. You can tell the vocalist is trying so hard to have a cool Nirvana voice, but failing miserably. It is just plain intolerable after a full cd listen, and it almost makes me dislike Nirvana for giving them material for them to rip off of.
The musical “experience” as a whole is just downright terrible. Had they ended the cd at about the first 5 tracks and called it an EP, I might have given this a 3 or God-forbid a 3.5. But no, they kept going, extending past all of their creative ideas and just repeat the same songs with different lyrics. Speaking of lyrics, they could have easily been written by a 5 year old. To bring a better metaphor, Blink-182s lyrics seem more mature. Lines like "Your taxes make prisoners of war around the world/They'll mind warp and drug you rape your little girl/Your government loves you so sleep now rest assured" seem like they try to reach RATM's level of a statement against propaganda, but, like the vocals, seem more forced than enjoyable. Most of the songs have something to do with anti-government, love, and love of being anti-government. This album is terrible and should not be listened to, unless you are a band trying to learn what NOT to do as a band, then this album is a great lesson to all.
Recommended Tracks: Everyday, and Kill Pop
Overall: The actual problem with the band is not as much the songs by themselves. The band has developed an okay sound, the songs just mostly all sound the same. The two recommended tracks are highly recommended, as they are quite well done, but the rest of the album seems bland and uninspired.
