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We’ve all been to the hip bar downtown, where
every Friday night there is sure to be that same
band you’ve seen about nine times the past
year is playing those same songs that you are so
sick of hearing. So sick of the songs, that you
can’t wait to hear the one they always play
last. That’s the song where all the ladies
get up, start screaming along to the words and dancing
along. You’re gazing at the same girl you
have been all night as she slurs through the token
crowd sing-along part.
Sound familiar? Thank God for those local bands.
They have found the formula to guarantee them
a prime slot on a weekend and probably pull in
close to a grand each time they play. They have
their catchy tunes. They have their hits. Yet,
they can’t quite seem to manage to make
it past the hump.
The Protocol could be “that
band” that you would see at least one Friday
out of the month. They are the generic 3-piece
alternative band. Nothing loud and aggressive,
but rock’n’roll enough to cater to
the men at the bar too. They play it safe, but
are diverse enough to play a type of song that
anyone in the crowd will like.
Recess starts off with a great one-two punch
of catchy uptempo rock. “The Words You Didn’t
Say” reminds me of dark U2, followed by
the Cheap Trick sounding “Barcelona.”
Simple guitar riffs and safe chord progressions
continue through the record. “My Alyosha”
is The Protocol’s ballad and one that really
caught my ear.
Halfway through Recess, “Click”
hits you. Now, I haven’t seen The Protocol,
but I can guess that this is the fan favorite,
and if so, I’m on board as well. Try as
hard as I may to hate the song, with its annoying
dial-up modem sound and trite lyrics involving
rock stars loving porn stars, the chorus really
gets stuck in my head. I imagine all the girls
singing along. I imagine all the guys turning
their heads away from the bar to watch The Protocol
play this song. I bet it would be a fun experience.
While I don’t see Recess getting
The Protocol nationwide rotation, I can see them
continuing to be a successful local Seattle band
in a bar filled with thirty-somethings. If you’re
under 21, you’ll probably have to wait until
you can experience bar bands to enjoy this CD.
theprotocol.com
parlorrecords.com
-Taylor Harris, December 11, 2007
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