Review Summary: After the deceit that has been their previous album, happy to see that this album is pretty satisfying.
Well, let’s clear those Static Lullaby reviews.
I was actually surprised that no one review this album, cause it is very good, ASL’s best in my opinion. After the deceiving Faso Latido, it’s gonna be a pleasure to review this. Three albums for ASL, three different labels, they registered “A Static Lullaby” with Fearless records only one year after the released of Faso Latido. Maybe because they felt as hard as me that didn’t gave justice to themselves with this record. They also change the lineup of the band, leading vocalist Joe Brown and guitarist and vocalist Dan Arnold being the only original band members.
Joe Brown – Vocals
Dan Arnold – Vocals, Guitar
John Martinez – Guitar, Vocals
Dane Poppin – Bass, Vocals
Jarrod Alexander – Drums
“Hang ‘em high” starts with a little keyboard sounds that is pretty cool but made me anxious. Are they just going to repeat the same mistakes they did with their previous album? Happily no, cause ten seconds later, a solid riff breaks the mood and leads to a great progression. The bass is much more present on this record, the guitars are heavier, the chorus catchy dose is perfect, nothing cheesy. This song directly drove me into the album.
Maybe that is why the next song turned me off a little bit. Good drumming, but the chorus felt a little like the ones that I hate with so much passion on Faso Latido. Vibratos are something unusual for AST, and I like it. But another chorus like “Contagious” and I’m gonna get very mad.
Lucky for me –and for them- “The annexation of Puerto Rico” is brilliantly catchy, with heavy verses and a chorus that goes “Do what this beggar pleads and bury me, bury me” with a good riff. Hello good old Static Lullaby! I definitively love their new drummer and bassist, they bring a lot more consistent sound to the band.
“Art of sharing lovers” is probably one of my favorite songs on this album. The screaming at the beginning and the bridge are amazing. The back vocals do a pretty good job on this last part. Ok chorus but I’ll forgive that.
As I just review their previous album “Faso Latido” in the hour before, I realize that the huge change and maturation that I felt between these two albums isn’t so huge at all. Cause this song, “The collision” really could have been on Faso Latido. But in fact it would have been one of the best songs on it, and it’s actually one of the weakest on this album. Well, maybe it’s because this album gives me exactly what I was expecting of it, and what I missed so much on Faso Latido: a mix of their old stuff, granted by the maturation and the experience they got through the years, musically, lyrically, and has what the sound they give as a band.
I really like the title of this song, “Trigger Happy Tarantula”. The sound of their songs really got something different, in staying actually the same. I guess the newcomers to guitar, bass and drums have something to do with that, and it’s actually a pretty good for the band. Every instrument is much more consistent, even the vocals, on this album. The rhythm is heaviest than ever, and the lead is cleaner than ASL ever sounded.
The bass line on “Eager Cannibals” is very pleasant to listen to. This song is pretty catchy too, in a nice way. But the construction of the song looks a bit like a recycling of some previous songs.
“Life in a museum”’s got a pretty cool intro. The progression is impeccable. The transition between this song and the following, “Stare in the air”, is pretty well done. Again a catchy, well constructed, well wrote, effective song. ASL always got great breakdowns and transitions, they bring easily different moods to their song without making it weird or out of sound.
“Static slumber party” is the only part of drum that I don’t really like, and it fix up at the chorus. Yeah, that verse isn’t extraordinary, sounds kind of a weird mix with bad punk and strange sweet hardcore. The bridge is pretty average too. And strangely, I have the impression that it’s the chorus that fix it all together again, witch is a pretty weird thing…
“Mechanical heart” was the best track to end the album. I like the back effects that give the impression of wind in autumn. This sounds like a good conclusion to this pretty good album.
Well, of course, “A Static Lullaby” isn’t perfect. But what a great improvement compare to “Faso Latido”!! This album satisfy the attempts that I had and that the previous album only increased. I guess that the change of certain band members was really a good thing for them, cause they bring a little something that probably wouldn’t have been there without them. In fact, this album is the best mix of their past things with the maturity they got. Of course, there’s still things to improve, such as the chorus that always tend to be too catchy or some progressions that just seem to be the same, but ASL really did a great job here and make us forgive the horrible mess “Faso Latido” was. By the way, the cover art in comics books style is amazing.
