Well, suffice to say, LiveonRelease have impressed me yet again, doing a lot of growing up in the process. Now in their final year of high school (or so I take it) the quartet- vocalist Collette Trudeau, guitarist Brittin Caroll, bassist Foxx Hearst and drummer Leah Emmott- have followed in the footsteps of another former kiddie rock band, Ajax rockers Sum 41, maturing into credible, more mature rockers like the Foo Fighters or Nickelback, but, unlike Sum 41, they still do quite a bit to retain their kiddie roots, the quality Sum lacked that probably led to less than expected sales of "Does This Look Infected?".
The improvements over the first album, "Seeing Red", are enormous. As stated earlier, LiveonRelease have become more mature and sound considerably older than they did on the first album. First off is a vast improvement in their talents, and, while it's not going to get them confused with rock's legends, they're doing a lot more than they did when they first came around. In particular I mention Trudeau and Karoll, whose improvements are the most noticeable. Trudeau's voice has gained quite a bit of projection and depth, while Karoll's guitar does more than just the catchy riffs present on "Seeing Red". Musically, the band's sound is a lot more developed and elaborate than it was before, especially on the slower songs like "Losing Gravity", and, again, while it's not going to get them confused with rock's legends, it's still a vast improvement than what was there before.
The songs themselves also represnt a jump. While pockets of "Seeing Red" had the band playing "adult"- like in "Fake" or "Why"- this time around, they're doing it a lot more, and a lot better I might add. In, for example, "Somebody Else Said", LiveonRelease use considerably stronger lyrics and wordplay than the likes of Simple Plan and Not By Choice- using *gasp* some "bigger" words in the process. Granted, it's not something Glen Danzig or Tori Amos couldn't come up with in their sleep, but it's considerably better than what a lot of younger artists use to "pass off" as lyrics. There's also the mellower "Losing Gravity" (which is NOT an Our Lady Peace reference) right before it, as well as the slightly Moist-esque "Jaded" (the beginning of which is used in the album's TV ads). Howie Day springs to mind in "Paranoid", which has Trudeau literally going nuts (as the guitars and drums clash all around her) despite the fact she claims "I'm twisted and different/But I'm not paranoid/Just me, not crazy, no one is coming to get me", while a sprinkling of Nickelback exists in "Inside My Head". Then there's the tracks that must have Pierre Bouvier rolling, "China Silk" and "Lost In The Moment", obvious teen-related tracks, but with arguably much stronger material and not nearly as whiny. However, not all is lost from the "old days"- album opener and single No. 1 "Let's Go" has the band returning to their previous album's snottier past, as Trudeau urges her boyfriend to come with her to the beach since, as she says, "your best friend's Channel 9". Heehee...always there to keep things in perspective.
However, this is a completely different band, and to expect another "Seeing Red"- like expecting Blur to do "Song 2" again- is virtually out of the question. The band is older and arguably wiser, establishing quite early on ("Jaded" is the second track, and the more mature content is in the beginning of the album) that they want to be more than just a kiddie rock band and insist on being taken seriously. It's not like they're giving up their roots all at once, as they're still making teen-related songs, but the band knows that they have to move on. The album's closer, "Runnin'", talks about high school graduation, and how the band suddenly realizes it may not be as rosy as they thought it might be. "Outside these walls/Your mom's not there/Nobody cares/And no one picks you up when you fall" they lament, and, hey, I can't blame them: growing up is difficult. However, the band here proves they can mature and mature well, having become the credible, mature rockers they set out to be.
-DG
Rating Guide: WWWWW- You can't go wrong with this. WWWW- Great and worthy of attention. WWW- Good, but not phenomenal. WW- I'm not so sure about this� W- Well, at least it makes a good Frisbee