Artist: The Starting Line
Album: Direction
Label: Virgin
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: July 31st, 2007
Overall: 7.5
Music: 7.0
Lyrics: 7.0
Production: 8.0
I guess 2007 is the year of redemption and come back. With several bands finding their way back to the styles that gave them their original fame. The Starting Line is the latest to (excuse the pun) find their direction.
The starting line don’t play copy cat with their previous work they simply build off it and focus their sound to something that is mature and unique to them. “Direction†the title track off the record leads off the record with heavy guitars and harder vocals than is typical for the band but lines up with all other tracks on the record. Harder music and thicker melody seem to be the tone the band stuck to while writing the latest effort. “Are You Alone†is the third track deep on the record and right from the beginning has a slower and darker feel to it with the chorus begging the question “are you aloneâ€? “Island†is vastly different with an upbeat feel to it that makes it a perfect summer song.
The album as a whole has a self reflecting theme to it. Songs like “I Could Be Wrong†and “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us†being the most obvious with the songs being about the bands touring and how people will miss them when one day they aren’t a band anymore. The best stand out lyric has to be in the song “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us†when Kenny sings “…If you can’t relate and refuse to sing along then maybe I can interest in some other song [a little something like] all that she wants is another babyâ€.
Starting Line fans will thoroughly enjoy this album and it will be in your top 10 for the year. Others of us who aren’t die hard Stating Line fans will definitely enjoy this record but my feeling is that it feels to short and it seems to not have a very long replay value.
Tracklisting
1. Direction
2. 21
3. Are You Alone
4. Island
5. Hurry
6. Something Left to Give
7. Birds
8. Way With Words
9. I Could Be Wrong
10. Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us
11. Need To Love
12. What You Want
I purchased TSL previous album for two reasons: “bedroom talk” and “the world”, radio ready songs produced by the mighty Howard Benson. On this new album, Benson is in charge of the entire production. That does the world of difference,if you ask me. Along with Benson, TSL has managed to create what I feel is the peculiarity of their sound, a distinctive dense yet abrasive soundscape. Kenny Vasoli displays his vocals in a memorable Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World) like fashion, and carries the energetic rocker “21”, the potential radiohits “island”, “hurry” and “way with words”, the elusive yet atracting “direction”, the somehow stagnant but powerful ballade “need to love”, and the beautiful sombre “are you alone”, without flaw and with great framing. TSL has clearly matured and this is their best work so far.