Some of the fashion trends from the ’70s have come back in the form of leg warmers, bell-bottom jeans, and Candies. That ’70s Show is still one of the best sit-coms on television that will, for whatever reason, never get the recognition it deserves. That was also the era of arena rock ballads and those grating guitar solos.
That decade brings back fond memories at times, and reasons to squirm and think of something else at other times, when flashes of bad fashion run through you mind or those rock bands that inspired the making of Spinal Tap.
Maybe Letter Kills has always had a bit of that kick out the jams kind of lick to their style and I just didn’t hear it, but it is really apparent on this new release, The Bridge. Produced by Timothy Cordova who has worked with Blink-182 and The Rolling Stones, he’s definitely stamped this puppy with something old, something new, and something borrowed: very clean, pop punk vocals with the “oh, oh, oh” faced, rocker stance.
Alternative Press has compared Letter Kills guitar styles to that of Rage Against The Machine. Wow. Not even close. Not to say that the skills aren’t flaming, they are. All of the pieces of the puzzle are lying out on the table, they just seem to be placed together by the music pros instead of the artists themselves.
Since the band has only been around two years and is already on a major, it looks like the goal is to appeal to the alt rock radio crowd, where they’re getting airplay for “Don’t Believe.” The last song “Hold My Heart (Part One)” is definitely cause for breaking out the lighter and swaying with your sweetheart, but it stands out as a track that has the least intervention.
Maybe if Letter Kills toured around in a dirty van for a few more years, that would give them more time to mold their own style. Then they could match the inspiration from their lyrics that show depth and contemplation with a sound that’s more raw and human, a just maybe a bit closer to their soul. But they charted on Billboard the first week of this release, so what the hell do I know.
Letter Kills plays the Nintendo Fusion tour with Story of the Year, lostprophets, My Chemical Romance, Anberlin and Autopilot at the Fillmore, September 24.
