Review Summary: A Static Lullaby are back and ballsier than ever.
In 2003 A Static Lullaby joined countless others trying to burst into the burgeoning post-hardcore scene with their debut release
...And Don't Forget to Breathe. Though the album offered little in originality, it quickly gained in popularity due to its catchy and (mostly) well written songs. Unfortunately for the band, their following release
Faso Latido alienated fans due its more Alt. Rock stylings. After the release of
Faso Latido, tensions over the direction of the band caused three of the five original members to leave the group. With new member's in hand A Static Lullaby returned to the Post-Hardcore sound that gained them fans in the first place. Though 2006's eponymous release marked the return to their roots, 2008's
Rattlesnake! is A Static Lullaby's first stand-out album since their debut.
Like their debut,
Rattlesnake! relies more on the band's penchant for well structured and memorable songs than being inventive in any way. Only this time, instead of drawing from the likes of Thrice and Finch, A Static Lullaby have decided to draw from the same Southern-Rock influenced well as Every Time I Die and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. Thats not to say that band's original sound is completely gone. The same catchy choruses and sing/scream trade offs are still there, just this time around they are beefed up and grittier. To put it simply, A Static Lullaby's balls have dropped.
The vocal interplay between Joe Brown's screaming and guitarist Dan Arnold's cleans has drastically improved, as both have stepped it up and brought their "A" game. Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato also lends backing screams and provides a welcome variation in the vocal department. The lyrics on
Rattlesnake! are also much darker than pretty much anything else the band has written, and at some points are blatantly chauvinistic ala Glassjaw. A perfect example of this can be seen in the track "Mourning Would Come" where Joe Brown screams
"She's nothing but an aging weathered hole". At least this new lyrical approach has made it so the band rarely falls into the hackneyed lack of lyricism that plagues many of Post-Hardcore's current bands.
With
Rattlesnake! A Static Lullaby have proven that they are back at full strength and still have something to contribute to the modern Post-Hardcore scene. To those that are unfamiliar with the band,
Rattlesnake! is a perfect place to start. And to those that gave up on the band over the last few years of missteps, give it a try because A Static Lullaby sound surprisingly good with cajones.
