Last May I decided I would attend an event called May Convention. May Convention is basically where Nazarene Christians get together for a weekend from over three provinces. What was special about this convention was that there was a lot of advertising being done for this band that would coming down to our small town (population: 1200). It piqued my interest, music's a big thing for me and if this band wasn't so big yet, maybe I'd check them out, like them and help get them to great popularity. That's a pretty big ambition for a kid like me from such a small town, but I have big dreams. I admit though, I was worried this band would be just another worship one and the public that would come to the free concert in our school gym would be completely appalled at having Jesus shoved down their throats. I was wrong.
The 401's debut album, Songs of Solomon is pretty good. It's polished and well executed. Their drummer Kevin is well known across the internet for making rock remixes of popular songs, and has been compared to the likes of Travis Barker. The first track , You Don't Even Know is a good opener. It starts off with guitar and then the drums kick in and “Oh, oh oh” 's A simple riff along with Roger's semi unique vocals. It's catchy and before long you'll find yourself bobbing your head along to Kevin's impressive drumming.
The first single for this album, Hey Now is a good choice. It's the second track , and again I find myself enjoying the drums a lot. The intro starts off with a catchy beat and an interesting guitar lick. The Christian influence is there, but it's very accessible to anyone. The bridge carries power, and goes into an acoustic filling in with the 'hey now's
Hands in my Pocket is the fifth track and with the title you'll probably think of those bank commercials where the banker always has his hand in your pocket. It's a cute song that will make you chuckle and wonder if these twenty-some boys are embarrassed to sing it. With lyrics like 'I could tell that she wanted to/ to na na na na na with me/but I'm just a church boy. It's almost as if the band are making fun of themselves for their beliefs.
The standout track on this album is not the upbeat ones, it's the balled like song titled Sixteenth in Line. It features an emotion that's held in the guitar. Roger's vocal performance displays the disappointment this song is bringing forth with their lyrics. With a hook that aches, 'But hey it's your life/and I don't wanna be/sixteenth in line' Everyone knows what it's like to wait for that phone call, or wanting to be close to someone and they just won't let you. Another line the struck me, 'I'm supposed to have/front row seats to the rest of your life.' A lot of people have that feeling of wanting to be the number one in someone's life. The music they put along with these relatable lyrics is slow tempo and the song fades out with the emotional guitar like the way it started.
The rest of this album flows together well, but also bleeds into each other making it hard to tell the difference between the last five songs. These five songs however are brought forward well, and as I've mentioned before the drums are The 401's major strong point. It's what makes them stand out from another pop punk band. Although pop punk bands and their topics of choice are never very mature, this band tries it's best to bring forth a sense of maturity but also with ability to be listenable to anyone who picks up this record.
The 401 is an upcoming Canadian band, and with a European tour under their belt I'm sure they will continue to grow in popularity and hopefully musically. The 401 displays a lot of promise, and I for one am counting on it. This is a band to watch out for in the upcoming years.
