Often when discussing originality I will use the phrase "They are no Reinventing the wheel here". Coming out with something totally original is not even the goal. Some of the more ground-breaking artists we think of changing the game can still have their influences traced back...even bands like Nirvana or Slayer. This band takes varied parts of varied genres and combines them in interesting ways. It never feels contrived or like a tribute to any particular artist. Are there influences in motion? Sure I can hear both Death Cab For Cutie and Brand New in their musical DNA. They throw in punchy hardcore almost gang vocal accents at times as well. There is a balance of melody you can follow and atmosphere.
The strum of acoustic guitar does get dangerously to Dashboard Confessional's brand of introspective pop punk. Even when they rock out more on this one it feels it needs more aggression to avoid sounding like something from a CW show. It could also be this particular song is not melancholy enough for me as the chord progression feels more hopeful. The is more of a rock jangle to the guitars crashing into "Better Now". What works is what I referenced earlier the idea of more punk gang vocals just accenting the chorus. 'Dwindling" finds them spacing out into a much thicker shoe gaze drone. It drones around in this dream-like state for the first two and a half minutes before things crash to life. They seem to make the most of dynamics, so what is not to like about that?
'Finding Time" does pop punk pretty well, their take on it lies on the introspective side and is less Fall Out Boy. I was not expecting the droning start to "Invading Space". The arrangement of the song is the album's most original moment. I like their willingness to experiment. The last song finds the album ending with a bit of a whimper with the faint meander of a folkish ballad. But perhaps that is just the timid way of saying goodbye. I will give this album, a 9, I would prefer more of the hardcore gang vocals than the Dashboard Confessional tugs at heart strings. It's well written and not the same old same old even when it comes to the more pop-punk moments.
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