Article by Dylan James Peterson
OREGON MUSIC NEWS
November 25, 2009
review by Dylan James Peterson
The radio static that kicks off Antique of Disaster is an apt start to an album that sounds like a hybrid of Coldplay and Phoenix, two big radio stars from the past decade. While the mixture is interesting, Another Cynthia would have been better served choosing one line of influence over the other. When they're doing their Coldplay impression, all airy electric guitars and sweeping melodies, they come off a little too serious. But when they lighten up, they're much closer to the poppy warmness of Phoenix, as in the funky synths and driving bass lines accompanied by acoustic upbeats on songs like "What Stays" and "Plastic." But in either case, it seems like they're just trying their damnedest to get on MTV2 or a CW prime time show.
They may very well succeed in the commercial market. The music is uplifting and positive and safe and all of those things that parents are happy to drop their kids off at for the evening. If this isn't Christian rock, it sure does sound like it.
Self-righteous fluffiness aside, the band sounds confident in their musical abilities. They don't take any missteps, but if anything, the album just sounds a little too crisp. The band took a year and a half to make the album, and went through lineup changes, rewrites and delays. The result is a highly produced record, and a pretty formulaic one at that. They've even got the sole acoustic song snuck in right before the triumphant finish.
But it's actually that last song that reveals the album's single inkling of Another Cynthia's potential. Instead of overwhelming radio marketability, Antique of Disaster's last track, "To Sleep," stands far above the rest of a very predictable pop/rock album. The energy level is maturely restrained; the synths and samples finally sounding pushing themselves fully into Phoenix territory. If Another Cynthia finds success, hopefully it's because of songs like this. But I'll leave that for the pop music fans to decide.
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About the Author
Dylan James Peterson is a contributor to OREGON MUSIC NEWS