Fire Hydrant
"Better Late Than Never" CD
self-released
Genres: rock/pop
November 2006 |
First off, why would you call your band Fire Hydrant? Not to
pick any fights or anything, but I just
don't see anything notable about the object - sure, fire safety is
important, but what does that have to do with a rock band? Oh well,
I'm sure there's meaning there somewhere... but
what about the album title? Aren't old adages a little out
of style? Avoiding cliché is like the first thing
you learn in any artistic endeavour. But opinions and assholes aside,
I'm here to review music, not names - but it's this same sort of
bland nature that pervades the songs on this
record. If the band's name and album title weren't enough to drive the
point home, then the music takes care of the rest. This album just
begs to blend into the background. Fire Hydrant seems scared to
lash out and make a name for themselves, which transfers to the music
- it is unspectacular at best, and tentative
without doubt. Simple pop/rock tunes are the name of the game here,
and sadly the great majority are pretty mediocre. If it weren't for
uplifting dreamer "Cassie" I'd consider this record completely bereft
of inspired moments. Toss-offs like "Robots for Dinner" (look ma,
they're so goofy!) and low-effort "Blue" do the band no favours, while
a supporting cast of somewhat amateur, bland rock numbers amount to
very little. Critics are always talking about great albums within the
context of the millions of other average background-faders. I
think you get where this one fits in.
MP3s (from .com):
robots for dinner,
cassie,
fractured mind,
riding bears
65%
Fun Fact: "Robots for
Dinner" is apparently a crowd favourite.
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks,
distributed by
the band
thru paypal,
released Jan 2006] |