Current mood:disappointed
So I bought the new Gin Blossoms album “No Chocolate Cake. I wasn’t sure what to think of it since I had heard previews of the songs. I didn’t exactly like what I heard in the previews. But after listening to the album, I still didn’t like what I heard.
First off, I didn’t like the mix. Where were the guitars? The gain was turned down, and the overall volume of the guitars was turned down. It was like a pop song type mix instead of a rocking alternative mix. The drums weren’t anything special. They sounded like an average drum track. The songs themselves weren’t that great. Ever since original songwriter/ guitarist Doug Hopkins killed himself the band hasn’t been able to write the cynical, depressing songs that they were good at writing.
So here’s the breakdown of the songs.
- Don’t Change For Me. A good song to start out with, but overall boring.
- I Don’t Want To Lose You Now. This sounds like elevator music.
- Miss Disarray. One of the better tracks. It’s the first release off the album.
- Wave Bye Bye. This wouldn’t even make it to any of their other albums it’s so lame.
- I’m Ready. It’s not catchy, it’s not hooky. A throw-away. It also sounds very close to their song, “Let’s Play Two” off of “Major Lodge Victory.
- Somewhere Tonight. By far their best song on the album. It’s still soft rock, but has a good mix and lyrics.
- Go CryBaby. I’m still undecided on this song. A good mix of instruments, but I don’t like the lyrics or chorus.
- If You’ll Be Mine. This sounds like elevator music. Where’s the edge?
- Dead or Alive on the 405. The second best song on the album. It probably started off as a joke, but evolved into a very catchy song. It’s my favorite song on the album.
- Something Real. Another throw-away/ elevator music selection. The tracks that didn’t make the first two albums are better than this song.
- Goin’ To California. A great chorus, but the rest of the song is boring.
In my opinion I would have kept only four, maybe five songs on the album. I would have sent the Gin Blossoms back into the studio to come up with some better stuff, and to mix what they already have a little better. To have six throw-away songs on an album is far too many. Overall I am very disappointed in this album. I would only give it 2 out of 5 stars.
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