Seconds to Go

I've always thought No Motiv was a pretty underrated band. They're simply one who knows how to write a good song, and they do it plenty, like on 2004's rather consistent Daylight Breaking. Now, whether or not I'd want to start a band who takes primary influence from them, that's questionable.

Seconds to Go must assuredly agree on my former point, but hardly the latter. The London, ON outfit is one of the first to ever come across so similar, and as they've got a few songwriting skills to match, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are a few spot areas that affect their debut full-length for Trever Keith's Antagonist Records, though.

One is lead vocalist Nick Harris. Hardly a disenchanting frontman, his voice does however tend to run a bit hard on the "angsty" side. This type of delivery just seems to prevent songs from really hitting their stride, when they could be otherwise full and impacting.

The other major problem is variety, little of which exists. Even when the band attempts to stretch their chops ("Circuitry," which lies somewhere between Hey Mercedes and Senses Fail), it ends up just being like the majority of Seconds to Go: decently catchy, Vagrant styled emo rock songs (notably the first 3 tracks). Bands of this style tend to run thin, lasting only for a good portion of time, and Seconds to Go's portion spreads to a miniscule layer about two-thirds into the album.

Where I see a lot of potential is thanks to the complex, layered guitars. Lots of subtle, sonic nuances pop up throughout, giving a lot of promise.

Not a bad debut per se, but one that shows a band in need of some retooling in order to really mesmerize the listener.

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