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So this is the sound of an identity crisis. This is the sound of a band who really just does not know what sort of creative direction to take, what to do with vocals, instrumentation, lyrics, or just the whole entire composition of things. I’m not saying that Let Go ever would have been anything incredible, no, merely an enjoyable rock outfit with tightly crafted, intelligent songs.

That’s just not what happened though, in the larger scheme of things. Let’s get it right out of the way, this self-titled record isn’t a bad one. Frustrating would be a more acute description. You see, Let Go are a band that are simply trying to be too much for their own good. One listen to the record's fifth track, “No Drugs, No Alcohol” tells the all too unfortunate story. This is a track that legitimately shows a band with a vision, and a wide variety of tools to implement into their songwriting. Not only is it the one track where the synth work does not appear in a wholly obnoxious and unnecessary context, but the upbeat, dancey rhythms and soulful vocals are something completely unlike the rest of the album.

And by “rest of the album,” I mean “run-of-the-mill pop-rock tunes with only slight variations.”

It essentially boils down to just that, like the band spent all of their creative spirit in just that one track. There’s some enjoyable segments before and after, such as the slow moving but heartfelt “Louise.” They could have drawn out the chorus a bit less, but the track on its own succeeds rather well, as it achieves that happy medium between sappy bullshit and a decent level of emotion. The problem here though, as with many of the other songs, is that repeated listens are going to get you real sick and tired of the songs, especially the overbearing and unnecessary synth inclusion. Equally unnecessary are the amount of effects put on Jaime Woolford's voice. For the amount of time it’s clearly just him singing, it’s quite evident that the man has all the tools he needs to be an effective singer. But a lot of what’s done to his voice in parts makes him and the song sound worse for the wear.

I think that the general theme of this record is missed opportunity. The middling guitar work, overpowering drums, obnoxious synths, and just general vocal tampering all gang up to pull this album right down to the bottom of the sea.






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    Posted by Jesse on 2006-02-10 00:00:08

    Well, the thing is for the first Stereo album is that the songs are easily polarized between Jamie and Rory songs. The songs Rory sings on are, well, the songs he wrote and are the ones that sound like the Impossibles. The other ones were Jamie's pop songs, and they sound like the stuff he was writing at the end of Animal Chin. So it's not like the collaboration was really a collaboration of sorts...

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 9, 2006 at 10:29 PM (EST)

    I met one of the guys from this band when he came to my work. Nice guy.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 9, 2006 at 1:37 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    this score si for Mike Ness

    Posted by maverick on 2006-02-09 01:27:24

    I think what made the first Stereo record so fucking good was the the push and pull between Rory and Jamie. Since they assembled the record via mailing tapes of ideas back and forth, there was never one guy in the practice room saying "THIS is how it has to go." So both of their songwriting voices were able to pop through and shine, and they gelled incredibly well together. After Rory peaced out, it just became the Jamie Show -- I think it's a safe bet any of the (numerous) members of the Stereo from that point on ever had a say in a song's shape.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 at 2:07 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    great review. this album is SUCH a dissapointment. animal chin was great, the stereo's FIRST album was terriffic, the stereo's other 2 albums were ok, and this BLOWS.

    it seems when jamie collaborates with other musicians, it turns out great, but when it's just him and some backup musicians, it sucks ass.

    all the vocals on this are him. even the backup vocals. how fucking unlistenable. it's very ego maniacal.

    Jamie's best work was still when he collaborated with Rory Phillips on the stereo's first album. Maybe it was just rory that was the good part.

    it's sad to see such potential go down the shitter.

    this sucks jamie. and i know you. this sucks dude. you're not as good as you think you are.

    Posted by captaincrunch on 2006-02-07 23:34:22

    I really like Jamie's work, but this is his weakest offering. I think these songs could have used a little more fine-tuning. They are in the mediocre to good range, but they could have been be better.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at 8:07 PM (EST)

    Dead on review. Pollen wasn't half bad, for a cheesy emo-pop band... way to trade down.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at 5:50 PM (EST)

    yeah me too ...i tought it was about avril lavigne..im soo disappointed

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at 11:51 AM (EST)

    i thought this was Avril Lavigne!

    Posted by Jesse on 2006-02-07 10:37:52

    Woolford needs to go back to being a militant vegan skateboarder in a ska punk band that named themselves after a skate video from the 80s.

    Posted by Timis on 2006-02-07 08:38:08

    >> after The Stereo, this definitely was a disappointment.

    actually for me - after animal chin, everything else has been a disappointment

    Posted by givemeamuseumandillfillit on 2006-02-07 04:30:46

    That's 100% accurate, it just simply exists. Has anyone seen them "live"? It's even worse, they play along with an ipod that has synths, extra guitars, backup vocals and effects and a click. They should just quit right now.

    Posted by maverick on 2006-02-07 01:58:25
    My Score:

    I hate to say it, but Jamie Woolford lost his spark with this record. It's just so... mundane. There's virtually nothing interesting about it whatsoever. It simply exists.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at 1:07 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    after The Stereo, this definitely was a disappointment.

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