Album Details

• Artist: The Color Fred
• Album: Bend To Break
• Label: Equal Vision
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2008-02-22

  Sure its poppy, repetitive, its modern pop/rock. Not sure if one could label Fred Mascherino's (Taking Back Sunday, Breaking Pangaea) new project Emo, though I'm sure some have, but the melodies are definitely there. Even though its not likely edgier Emo kids are going to dig this album, Mascherino has plugged away at a niche of his own.

Track five, Compaintor begins fantastically with barely traveled rhythms of dark acoustic and metallic bridges that burrow. Eventually this song burns hard and bright in the outro. The poppiest efforts of the disc are of course, unsubtly placed at the head of the disc. Get Out and If I Surrender have clammy and overproduced blends of The Ataris gone sour; you know, anything So Long Astoria and later. A bit of piano, and intermissions, it's really the over announced shallow content of the lyrics that leaves an empty stomach after this meal.

Sure its poppy, and yes very repetitive, its modern pop/rock. Don't act like you don't have some guilty pleasure disc most people would treat like a one time frisbee, you're not fooling me. Does this environmentally sensitive packaging make it to my pile of "to be played again..." ? At this point , but stay tuned, several records grew on me like a fungus last year.

(80% post-consumer waste recycled paper, paper foam is 100% biodegradable)

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************************* UPDATE *********************************

I posted the review so late, I've even seen him since.  Call me crazy, but in a crowd of unknowing, I truly enjoyed knowing Fred's solo stuff live.  Call it what you want, but I've picked up the record more since catching his energy live.

 2.22.8

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