Review Summary: The overlong nature of this release shows that Crosses might be better served acknowledging the immediacy of some of their music and building upon it, thus embracing the obvious talent in the group.
Crosses would like you to believe that their mixture of electronic-tinged rock is more mysterious than other acts, but this release doesn't lend much to the dark vibe that they are obviously going for.
Crosses attempts to surround itself in mystique and shroud itself in darkness, but the truth is that there are more pop sensibilities than initially meet the eye. While that in itself is not a bad thing at all, the album just seems to shy away from said sensibilities when it would actually propel the songs forward. Though it's obvious Deftones singer Chino Moreno has some incredibly distinctive vocals that have allowed for him to play around with a myriad of side projects, this is perhaps his most sonically palatable and "safe" endeavor. Dark electronics mingle with rock sensibilities and his ever-distinguishable melodies, but there seems to be a fairly formulaic approach that makes the fifteen tracks bleed into one another even after multiple listens. The album certainly succeeds in creating some songs that one can pore over and peel back the multiple layers, revealing some relatable lyricism and minute musical arrangements that wonderfully affect the entire mood of the song. There are also too many tracks that unfortunately just lull themselves into oblivion as well, with boring instrumentation and Moreno crooning perhaps a bit too much. The distinct lack of variation makes it a chore to get through, but there are still some shining moments that prove that the collaboration between Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez can yield some excellent results.
"This Is a Trick" begins the album quite well, with a glitchy beat draped in synth and a
very Deftones-sounding chorus. It ends up being incredibly catchy, and the electronic aspects introduce some unexpected twists and turns as the song progresses. The driving beats continue in the next two songs as well, creating a sound that seems to fit them as a group and one that they aptly deliver on. "Bitches Brew" is by far the catchiest of all of
Crosses, boasting an impassioned chorus from Moreno and a ferociously distorted guitar that buzzes in and out at just the right moments. While this transitions perfectly into "Thholyghst", this is also the point where Crosses slow things down, and begins the descent into song anonymity. It becomes a bit harder to differentiate the stand-out songs from the ones that are just there, and filler overtakes almost the entire second half of the album. "Trophy" has a very pretty atmosphere, but the vocals are intentionally sunk into the background and brings to the forefront a very repetitive acoustic guitar, and it unfortunately creates a lazy sound to a song that could have been one of the highlights of the album. Once "Nineteen Ninety Four" begins playing, the lack of sonic variety just overpowers any atmosphere that Crosses are attempting to build on. "Bermuda Locket" takes all of the elements that were attempted before and does them perfectly. Moreno croons about pouring someone's crazy all over him, and the smooth beat is complemented quite well by an occasional high-pitched synth note. While the fact that ten of the fifteen songs that appear on
Crosses have appeared on previous EPs doesn't take away from the fact that this was released as a cohesive album itself, there is an obvious fractured quality to the flow that does detract from the listening experience.
Crosses has some incredible songs, but the reality is that a little more aggressiveness and stronger choruses could have given this release more of an identity. Instead, the listener is inundated with a droning atmosphere that bogs down the total listening experience. Though putting the atmosphere on the back burner and creating a few more up-tempo songs may have not been what they were attempting to accomplish, Crosses proved that songs like "This Is a Trick" and "Bitches Brew" were where they excelled the most. The overlong nature of this release shows that Crosses might be better served acknowledging the immediacy of some of their music and building upon it, thus embracing the obvious talent in the group.
