The Qualia - Memorial Gore

The Qualia - Memorial Gore
2011, WTII Records

A lot of unusual things happen in Brooklyn.  Where else could a quartet like Lars Casteen, Rossen Nedelchev, Chvad SB and Zakai Robbins come together?  And where else would an utter blend of musical sounds and styles solidify into the synth-based musical menagerie of The Qualia?  Growing up in Charlottesville, Casteen rebelled against the Dave Matthews-induced onslaught of commercial roots/pop/jazz/rock, seeking out the grand synthesized sounds of the new wave era.   Step forward nearly two decades and Casteen casts his pen in all musical wells, drawing forth sounds from disparate backgrounds and marrying them in catchy numbers that defy categorization. His band, The Qualia, will release their latest EP, Memorial Gore, on June 14, 2011.

Memorial Gore opens with "Guess I Lied", a mildly catchy, mid-tempo new wave number driven by an incessant, alternating bass rhythm and staccato piano.  Casteen is solid on vocals, and the song makes a decent first impression for the band.  "Triple Crown" finds The Qualia sounding a great deal like Canadian rockers 54-40.  Heavy electronic effects, a big bass sound and big hooks make for an intriguing background, but Casteen sounds so much like Neil Osborne it's a bit scary.  "World Gets Around" is a stark story song with a sudden cut ending that will surprise you in its pure sensibility.  Things get a bit bland beside a wall of sound approach on "Keep It Coming", but The Qualia recovers somewhat with the meandering, electronically enhanced ballad "Fat On The Baby".  Memorial Gore closes with the danceable new wave of "Volcanoe (Diogenes Club Mix)".  This is middle of the road pop/dance material that you can move to, but won't particularly move you.

Memorial Gore finds The Qualia seemingly casting about for something - a sound; a style; a hook..  it's not entirely clear where the band is going.  That's sort of the point, to read their bio on their website, but makes it particularly difficult for the band to connect with fans.  There's little or no commonality throughout the six-song EP that helps to build a connection for listeners, other than the utter variability of the experience.  While this will hold fascination for some, it's the sort of fascination that tends to flee as the next new something comes along.  The Qualia show themselves to be musical solid on Memorial Gore, and Lars Casteen certainly displays chops as a singer and songwriter, but the net impression left of The Qualia at the end of Memorial Gore is of a band still trying to figure out just who they are musically, and trying to do too many things in the process.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Qualia at www.thequalia.com or www.myspace.com/thequalia.   Memorial Gore dropped on June 14, 2011.  The album is available for pre-order via Amazon.com as a CD or Download.

The Trews - Hope & Ruin

The Trews - Hope & Ruin
2011, The Trews Records

Toronto rock quartet The Trews have ten Top-10 singles and 2 gold records to show for their first three albums, yet the band chooses to break new ground on their fourth album, Hope & Ruin.  Colin MacDonald (vocals); John Angus (guitar); Sean Dalton (drums) and Jack Syperek (bass) have been one of Canada's top live acts for a few years now, becoming known for a heavy, guitar-driven sound.  This time around the Trews created music live in the studio.  Hope & Ruin consequently features flashes of the sound that have made The Trews crowd favorites, but also displays the band in greater depth than their prior works.

The Trews begin in familiar territory, with the guitar-driven pop/rock of "Misery Loves Company".  The song is built on a wonderfully catchy hook, with vocal harmonies wound around MacDonald's lead like aural gift wrapping.  Muscle aside, "Misery Love Company" could vie for recognition as the mythical perfect three-minute pop song.  "One By One" is catchy Americana/rock with rapid-fire lyrics and a memorable chorus.  The song is built on a pervasive riff that takes on a life of its own.  "People Of The Deer" is high energy, melodic hard-rock with seething pop sensibilities.  MacDonald's voice drives this one, but ambitious guitar work and a killer chorus complete the effect nicely. 

"Stay With Me" is a bit maudlin for a love ballad, falling into a sound that's part Counting Crows and part Gin Blossoms.  Similarly, "Hope & Ruin" is catchy at first listen but gets a bit bland beyond the pacing of the song.  The Trews fall into a bit of a rut with "The World I Know" and "Dreaming Man", but turn it over with "I'll Find Someone Who Will".  In spite being a bit heavy on repetition, the song is a solid pop-oriented rocker about the need for dysfunction in a relationship.  It's a solid arrangement; MacDonald and The Trews may make you think of Bob Seger singing with the Gin Blossoms here.  "Love Is The Real Thing" is a solid and catchy acoustic rocker, and sets up the closer, "Burned" quite nicely.  "Burned" stays with the Seger/Gin Blossoms sound, with MacDonald adding a soulful blues feel to the vocal line that is appealing.

The Trews stepped outside of their usual template to create the surprisingly effective Hope & Ruin.  Like any band that evolves over time, The Trews may find some of their fan base who have a hard time with the adjustment, but there's enough appealing change here to bring in a host of new fans as well.  Hope & Ruin is an evocative change of pace for The Trews without abandoning their heritage as a band.  Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that The Trews haven't been heavily courted south of the proverbial 54-40 before now.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Trews at www.thetrewsmusic.com or www.myspace.com/thetrews.  Hope & Ruin is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.