A sound like any other sound

After living in an excruciatingly small town for the majority of my formative years, I learned that satellite radio can be one of your best friends. On occasion, it can act as your only link to civilization - especially when FM stations play mostly bubble-gum pop and “hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s”.  It was thanks to one of those slightly pretentious satellite DJs that I was introduced to the White Rabbits.  After suspiciously being assured that they were the greatest thing to happen to music since the Les Paul guitar, I was actually pleasantly surprised by their single “Percussion Guns”.  While not the best song in the history of music, it was one of the more interesting and – dare I say it, promising – songs I’d heard in a long time; with its unique harmonies and catchy chorus, you’ll likely find yourself tapping a foot unconsciously to the tribal-like drum beat.  The cutesy, trendy moniker may actually be hiding something very worthwhile, and who was I to judge without taking a listen?

After careful consideration, I decided to purchase the entire album, “It’s Frightening” - something generally reserved for my long-time favorite bands, and something I almost immediately regretted.  The opening song was, of course, “Percussion Guns”, generating more excited anticipation for the rest of the album; I quickly clicked to the next song, curiously titled “Rudie Fails” (Who is Rudie? And why did he fail?), only to be disappointed. The beat only slightly different from “Percussion Gun”, I found it to be less uniquely crafted and more generically manufactured.  “They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong” was slightly better, with a mournful intro calling to mind Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and a hint of Muse thrown into the vocals.  The next track, “Lioness”, was disorganized, unmelodic and forgettable.  “Company I Keep” was better, but was lost among not only the other similar sounding tracks, but similar sounding artists.  Without any sort of profound or meaningful lyrics, the songs simply fade away into the rest of the alternative music scene without any imprint left on the listener’s memory. “Midnight and I” was the only other notable track in the repetitive album, featuring playful vocals reminiscent of a Spoon track while still retaining a moodier edge.

Although “Percussion Guns” is arguably one of the most catchy songs of the summer, the rest of the album does truly leave the listener confused – was that all just one lengthy song dragging on, or did I just miss the track separations?  Apart from “Midnight and I”, the rest of the album is forgettable - it tries a little too hard, and there are countless bands with a comparable sound.  I recommend downloading the two songs (although “Percussion Guns” is going for a hefty $1.29 on iTunes), but skipping the rest.