the punk-pop quartet formed in 1999 under the name 'Sunday Drive' that quickly transformed into the starting line as they churned out their first ep, with hopes of starting over, and then their full length debut, say it like you mean it, both under Drive-Thru records. after a while of sucessful touring, they were back in the studio recording Based on a true story -- onward to the review --
The Starting Line are:
Ken Vasoli - Vocals, Bass
Matt Watts - Guitar
Mike Golla - Guitar
Tom Gryskiewicz - Drum
Action - well, this is 30 secconds of pain. a few drum stick clapping together, and then a voice saying "quiet on the set, roll sound, roll camera, and action" its supposed to give the effect of a movie scene, but i think its just stupid and another way to sneak an extra track into the listing. its only 30 secconds long, so it dosent deserve a full rating
Making Love to the Camera - ahhh, after the painful thirty secconds of action, i hear a soft acousit guitar, taking me back to the beginning of 'the best of me' from say it like you mean it. it proceeds into a cool inro riff, sound like a more mature, more polished version of the band i had listend to waiting for this album to come out. this song isn't that lyrically impressive, though it does deliver some cool riffs and beats. this one gets a 3.5/5
Inspired by the $ - guessing from the name and the lyrics, this song is about the thirst for money. the lyrics i thought would be pretty much cliche, and i was right. not too much special there, but the actual song, not lyrics are what carry this oen. it starts out withh a great sounding guitar and bass piece that continues into the verse. unlike in some of the other songs, the bass is quite audible here, which really adds a deeper, richer sound to this song. there's a short but satisfying guitar interlude in the middle, opening up another strong riff. not the best on the album, but near the top. 4/5
Bedroom Talk - this is the first song i heard from the new album, and the lead single. a short, but great sounding drum intro really throws you into the verse, which pretty much contains more cliche lyrics about falling in love, you kno, emo stuff. the lyrics get a little risque with "i'm gonna tear your ass up like we just got married", but it continues onto more cliche love lyrics. the guiutar and bass track aren't nececarily impressive, but they do the job well, not turning attention to themselves. good song, but it gets repetive after around ten listens. 4/5
Suprise, Suprise - great song, and by far my favorite on the album. a cool intro guitar piece melds nicely as a keyboard joins in. The dual vocals really sound great together in this song, and for the first time in the album, the lyrics aren't bad. the shours has a real cool sound to it, and the tempo from that is kept up in the verse as well. after the final chourus piece, the music fades away to leave a single guitar playing the same riff from the beginning. as i said at the top, my favorite song on the record. 5/5
Photography - after being dissapointed in the first two songs' lyrics, these ones really impressed me. although still about finding love, they sing in mere desperation of "swinging from a streetlight" to be with them. a soft acousitc guitar draws you into the ballad, as mellow piano and a faint violin join in. as it just seems to quit out and fade into pure strings, vocals, and piano, a trmendous guitar comes in for a fantastic section of the song. although that is dominated by guitar, you can still faintly hear the strings and piano, which continue throughout the song. great song, it really showed a side of TSL that i hadn't heard before. 5/5
Autography - a twin in name to the previous track, but ploar opposites in sound. instead of a soft acousic guitar leading into the song, a poppy guitar beat starts up this one. like suprise suprise, you can hear a piano in the background. this song is another solid one, but not much to stand out for me. 3/5
The World - starting out like any other pop-punk track, it drastically slows down in the verse, starting with a chours of claps amd soft, easy guitar parts. once it gets back to the chours however, it quickens nicely into a thunderous chours, but slows down again in the verse, evoking nirvana's famous stop and go style. after the seccond chours, a cool guitar solo comes in joined by gang lyrics. i don't neccecarily like this, but it works well for this song. another good track, nothing special though. 3.5/5
Artistic Liscence - unlike autography and the world, Artistic Liscene starts out much harder and with a guitar riff that dosen't sound like a ten minute learn. the tempo is kept up through the song, instead of frequent shifts like in the world. Plus, in parts of the verse, singer vasoli gets semi-close to screaming, adding yet another harder touch. the interlude is much softer, showing off bass skills, which is then followed by a killer solo, something i haven't seen much of from the starting line. the song alone is good, but the great solo is the sugar topping. Artistic Liscene gets a 4.5/5
Stay Where I Can See You - hey, wanna hear ANOTHER song about a girl! well then this one's for you. yea, yea, yea, i just wish i were with you, blah, blah, blah, you know, stay where i can see you, so i can always love you, blah, blah, blah. more cliche lyrics, with pretty borring and unoriginal riffs. this is the shortest song next to action, clocking in at just under three minutes. the only complaint i had for this song is why it couldn't be shorter. easily my least favorite song. 2/5
The B-List - again with this song, and many others on this album, the lyrics are nothing special. the b-lsit starts out with simple singing and an easy guitar piece that progresses into a cool riff. the verse sounds great, with the guitar and bass stopping at short intervals but still keeping the tempo up. the chourus opens up into another great sounding riff really showing off the guitar skills. this is just what i needed after hearing stay where i can see you. 4/5
Ready - instantly after hearing the opening acoustic guitar, i had high hopes for this ballad, seeing as how much i like photography. the first half is very soft and soothing with only the acoustic guitars and vocals. a kind of synth sound and symbol comes in fora while, before all sound muted for a guitar piece throwing 'ready' into a new tempo. it slows back down again, ending the song. this ballad was good, but bad in comparison to photography. 3.5/5
Cut! Print it - with the last song here, i would expect nothing less from the starting line. another good pop-punk song, filled with fun guitar pieces and the ocassional piano.the guitars really shine during the chours, one playing heavy chords, the other soloing to give it a great sounding layered feel. plus, for once, the lyrics don't totally suck. the song fades out with a cool drum piece followed by some feedback. as the last on based on a true story, i was left with a sweet and satisfying record. Cut! print it gets 4/5
based on a true story is a great cd i would reccomend to any fan of the starting line, or for anyone looking for a great cd. my overall rating for this cd is 4/5
best songs: Inspired by the $, Suprise, Suprise, Photgraphy, Artistic Liscence, and Cut! Print it
