Odd Project

The Second Hand Stopped
2004
Indianola




Review by: FortyMinutesWest
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Indianola Records (link)

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Published on January 18th 2005

Do we really need another band like this? That was, of course, a rhetorical question. Odd Project features some talented musicians that play some stale-sounding music. That’s not to say that I of all people would dismiss a band simply for playing metalcore, as I do still think that bands can do some interesting things with this style of music, and at the very least can give the listener some fun mosh parts.

Mercury Switch, a fellow Indianola band, put out a quality record a while back that showcased the fact that a band could invigorate the typical metalcore sound by adding lots of different elements to it. Odd Project also seems to enjoy melding multiple styles together, but without the same success. The band has talent - there’s no questioning it - but the songs are lacking in the energy department. The vocal harmonies are pulled off well enough, and some of the riffs are nice, but the overall songs just aren’t all that great. There’s nothing here that really warrants repeated listens. I think they would be better served to hold off a bit on the singing, because even though it isn’t particularly bad, it really kills the energy of the songs here. The heavier parts of the album aren’t quite heavy enough to balance out the sugary, soft parts either.

The lyrics certainly don’t help much:

The record skipped...and the needle cut your lips. But I'll miss you when i'm gone. Your ink filled eyes, they blink and the tears stain your porcelain cheeks. A cinematic smile is kind on the eyes...we rehearse and we rehearse these heartfelt lines (lies)..your lipstick still haunts me. Its ghost on my collar. Red and white they collide.

What we’re left with in the end is an accessible release that will probably garner the band more attention than they’ve ever had, but at the same time, it’s a disc with very little staying power. This record has its moments (i.e. a nice little solo on the fourth track, "A Perfect Smile And Butterfly Wings”), but the good moments don’t really outweigh the mediocre ones, and the moments that do stand out aren’t enough to make me pop this back in my CD player.