Login for FavoritesA Room Full Of Strangers - We're All Living The American Dream
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Album Details
- Artist: A Room Full Of Strangers
- EP: We're All Living The American Dream
- Label:
- Year of Release: 2010
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: patchen on 2010-02-23
RecommendYou've got figure that any band that performs in ski masks and which has a tune titled "FTLO" (for Fuck The Love Out) must deliver some pretty hairy, disturbing mojo. A Room Full of Strangers, though, seem to lean to the side of promising rather than delivering "We're All Living The American Dream" features five driving tracks that straddle the line between greasy skronk and typical Alt-rock totems.
They are also schizophrenic lyrically, alternating between the darkly humorous and the political, usually hitting only the easiest targets. There is no threat here beyond the intent; for the most part this is all radio-friendly, not radio-defying.
Guitarists Reverend K Mang and Stranger #2 keep things churning, and Dagger certainly has more than enough bark for the little bite given. That said, then, "FTLO" is the best track, and displays some serious moves that must work live, esp. since the band do have a good buzz about their gigs.
But songs like the title track and "Incognito" want to be funnier and nastier than they are. This record is for fans who see Bad Religion and Social D as hardcore.
A Room Full of Strangers have the right idea and the right idols-they just need to put as much energy into the musical ideas as they do the presentation.
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on 2010-03-01 ToddLevinsonFrank Said:
Room Full of Strangers sound like the kind of band you just have to see live. Not to say their new EP We're All Living the American Dream is bad, it certainly isn't. But based on the energy of this 5-song set, and the fact they also released a DVD (featuring 49 minutes of exclusive footage, including live performances, interviews with fans, band members and numerous comedic juxtapositions ) as part of a debut package and well, you just get a feeling.
Ever have a friend in a band, and they're so much fun to see live, they are so unique and original and just balls-to-the-wall rockin' in the live setting, but when you pass their CD along to a friend, the response is just luke warm? I bet that happens to Room Full of Strangers all the time.
We're All Living the American Dream was produced by Kramer, whose credits include Ween, Butthole Surfers, and his work on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack for Urge Overkill's Girl You'll be a Woman Soon.
Again, the EP is pretty good, and lead singer Mick Dagger can scream with the very best of 'em. But the at times overly produced crunch of guitars and drums just doesn't translate to the casual listener in the way that witnessing such mayhem might if youd seen it live.
An almost incomparable sound that comes off as Billy Idol meets Alice in Chains with a pinch of The Hold Steady's bar-room bravado, We're Living the American Dream has some messages with the madness. But for the most part it's a turn-it-up-to-11 rockin' affair that gets in and gets out without wearing out its welcome.
The band is known to take the stage in ski masks, in keeping with their Strangers moniker. After listening to just these 5 songs, I can easily imagine pure mayhem taking place on club stages of unsuspecting little towns across the country.
As Dagger explains in the band's press release, We're all about shaking it up, taking people out of their safe zone, while still having fun. One minute during our live show, everything's fun and happy and then we turn down the cycles and go darker. I can tell that people wonder if the creepy feelings are real, I can assure you they are. What we do can be shocking or disturbing but not like your typical shock rockers, more like a crazy tone poem, inspiring certain imagery and ideas that take the audience to a different place. It's more of a cerebral trip, morbid curiosity and tension beneath the surface. The common thread we find is that people want to cut through the political BS, mores and societal expectations, show their true colors beyond their 9 to 5 job, cut through the status quo and take their masks off, while sometimes putting ours on. Sometimes they need help doing this because we're not necessarily into simple escapism, instead we dig an alter reality. It's not always comfortable at first to embrace any new reality, however once they're in its bliss. No matter their financial status, political, sexual or spiritual preference, our fans get down with us and we create great energy together. The ski masks are simply a symbol to remind us all that everybody is a stranger and for this reason we're united. Together we can scoff at the dark elements of life.
This album is a great short blast of pure rock energy, but it sounds like you might need to get the nerve up to see their show to really get to know these strangers.
edit: thought i was giving it 3 out of 5 stars. so i guess it would be a 6 out of 10. woops
Rating: 3/10
