Band of the Month – May 2005

April was a pretty slow month as far as blog posts go, but it did see the glorious returns of both Dick Turtle and the mini-reviews. Now it’s forever saved onto its own page in the archives. Hoo-ray.

In other news, I’ve just recently caught wind of this really kickass band. They go by the monicker of Span and are a rather excellent portralyal of what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Unfortunatley, they’ve currently only got one major release (which is very rare to find), so this is gonna be one of those Jimmy Eat World one-CD reviews.

So firstly, who the Hell is Span? There’s a 97% chance you’ve never heard of them. If you have, you’re either really lucky, or have finished the video game Obscure, which totes their music quite prominently. That would be where I first heard of ’em. Anyhow, while their look may at first suggest a punk band, calling these guys punk would be an insult. They sound far too professional for that title. While they have an obvious nu-rock influence, Span is your model modern rock ‘n’ roll band. Combining fast, catchy anthems with hard rock and slower ballads, Span runs the full rock gamut, semblant of old-school rock legends like Motley Crue, Poison, and Firehouse.

So onto the review thing. The CD, as you should be able to see above, is titled Mass Distraction. While it features a scant 11 tracks (I’ll admit, I’m spoiled by compilations and greatest hits albums that have between 15 and 20 songs apiece), it’s a joy to listen through from start to finish. The first song, “Found” is a pretty standard song, and does well as an opening track. Anywhere else on the CD, it might seem a bit weaker. Now number two, “Don’t Think The Way They Do” is my new favourite song ever. It’s fast, catchy, and just really cool. It’s the only song I know of on the CD to have a single, so I guess it’s their hit song. Seriously, if you’re checking out Span, this is a good song to start with. Very addictive. “Peaceful” slows it down a bit, with its first part being rather slow, and then getting up to a harder tone near the halfway point. “Papa” takes it from there, and really gets things rolling with some fantastic teamwork between the guiars and drums.

“Stay As You Are” isn’t quite as hardcore as the previous track, but keeps up the rock ‘n’ roll attitude, and makes for a second really catchy song. “Missing in Stereo” sounds almost like Span took a page from Matthew Good, as it’s quite slow and moody. I’m a pretty big Matt Good fan, so I like it a lot. “On My Way Down” brings back the rock but manages to keep the moodiness of the last song, and sounds great doing it. Next up, “Buckle Under Pressure” really reminds me a little of the good old classic rock of the 80’s. It combines some really heavy guitar work with lighter verses and a sweet chorus to make a pretty unique sound.

And then comes the only song that could possibly rival “Don’t Think The Way They Do” for best song on the CD. “Baby’s Come Back” is insane. It’s fast, catchy, kinda funny, and has a simply magnificent guitar solo that is surpassed only by that of “Stairway to Heaven”. All this backed by some sweet vocal work and a great drum beat, and you’ve got a killer song. “Wildflower” is really surprising, in that it’s more of a poppy song, rather than rock. But it maintains respectability by being really good. As it is with a lot of CDs, the last track Mass Distraction is a slower one, “When She Stares”. It’s slow, but it’s got a very powerful chorus, and is twice the length of most of the other songs on the album. It’s an excellent song, and a great choice to end with.

Be it resolved that Mass Distraction is the best CD I’ve heard in a long time, and I’ve got a lot of really awesome CDs. Props out to Span and their great, though far too unknown effort. Also, I should mention a couple of their other songs I’ve heard, particularly “Cut Like Diamonds” and “Always Ends”, are just as great as anything on their debut album. Word on the street is that they’re going to be releasing number two in the near future, so here’s hoping that maybe I’ll be able to find that one in stores. Or at least download it like I did with the first. Yeah, I’m pretty damn obsessed with these guys right now, and my AudioScrobbler account holds undeniable proof of that. Check ’em out for sure.

Leave a Reply