Review Summary: Kids In Glass Houses fall flat on album number four
When In Gold Blood came out in 2011, I went into the album excited having liked the previous 2 albums and when I listened to it, and didn't really like it, it took me by surprise, considering how much I loved Smart Casual. So I listened to it again, and again. But nothing happened that sparked my interest. So after that I went onto the internet and looked up several reviews on the album which were all praising the album like it was the best pop rock album of 2011. So again I tried to listen to the album and apart from a few good tracks the rest of the album fell flat for me.
So after that I didn't really pay much attention to Kids In Glass Houses. But in 2013 via Facebook I found out they had an upcoming album for the autumn. I didn't pay too much attention at first with other albums I was looking forward to at the time. But I was still excited to listen to the album to see if it did something for me that In Gold Blood failed to achieve. So I gleefully sat down hoping to enjoy the album. Then 36 minutes later, I had to stand up again because it was over, with only 1 song stuck in my head and nothing else in the first listen gave me any encouragement to listen again.
It's not a bad album by any means, it just never got me excited like Smart Casual did or even Dirt to some extent. I thought Drive was a decent song and probably the only song I can say I would like to listen to again, but even that song isn't a music masterpiece. I thought the album had too much synth for my liking and the lyrics seemed unimaginative and lacking in personality, it all seemed very generic to listen to. As much as I like Smart Casual, maybe even love it, the music wasn't exactly heart stopping music with genius lyrics or a story that kept you captivated from beginning to end. But it was essentially fun and an album where you can pick any song and be able to sing along to. But Peace lacks that free spirit that made their debut such a fun album to listen to. Whether nostalgia has blinded me once again, and that if Smart Casual had been released this year, I wouldn't have liked it, I will never know, but one thing I do know is that they have got album length spot on, at 36 minutes long it doesn't outstay it's welcome and is the perfect length for the album.
It is hard to completely judge an album on a first listen, take an album like Emergency & I by The Dismemberment Plan. My opinion on that album after hundreds of listens is completely different to what it was when I first listened to the album. But the difference is there was a part of me that wanted to give Emergency & I another go, because it wasn't that I disliked the music or found it boring, I just didn't understand what was going on. Whereas with Peace, I am not really looking forward to a second listen, because the first listen bored me and that isn't a good sign for a band. It doesn't really feel like any progression has been made from previous albums.
Kids In Glass Houses were never an 'off the wall' kind of band but even for them, this album does sound very heavily influenced by mainstream. I'm not going to say it's mainstream though, because I think that would be doing the album some injustice. Of course there is nothing wrong with an album being mainstream to a point. One thing I can say is I am open minded to new ideas and new directions for a band. If it wasn't for the fact that I am open minded, I would have never got into Eminem or The Prodigy. The main problem I have is where the change in sound has no real direction. A bit like Linkin Park on A Thousand Suns, it just feels stale and feels like change for the sake of change.
Maybe the 2.5 rating is a bit harsh, it could possibly be a 3 if I was being kind, but If you are a fan of In Gold Blood, then there is a chance you might like Peace. But for me, it's not an album I hate so much that I want it banished from my life or the world, but I wouldn't miss it, if it was gone.
Recommended Tracks:
Peace
Drive
