Withdrawal--The Perfectionist Blacklist

Debuts are tricky things. New bands trying desperately to find their place in the musical world, to gain a larger audience and possibly even pick up a bigger record label. In many cases this makes a band’s first CD jumbled and confusing, touching on a variety of different musical styles, trying to reach out to a variety of different listeners. Withdrawal’s debut album, "The Perfectionist Blacklist", is guilty of this trait.

Rising out of Fullerton, California, the alternative quintet is certainly unique. Their songs all have impressive moments, little climaxes and melodies where the guitars swell and the symbols crash and a chill goes down the listener’s spine. "Oil and Water" is a good example, it begins with a breath-taking guitar solo. Fast, driving, complex, it grabs the listener’s attention. Added in is a fast repeated vocal line, that sounds more like another instrument than someone singing. The song fails to impress however, due to the length and the chorus vocals. The song dives into a slow, somber sonic mush that loses the attention that was gained earlier in the song. In addition, the chorus vocals are delivered in an annoying way, with a whiny fall off after every line. While this is emotion-filled and expressive to be sure, these vocal falloffs lose their effect when they are added to every line.

This is a consistent problem with the album, the band has just added too much. The majority of songs are over four minutes, and do not stay consistent in tempo, volume, or theme. Too much musical wealth has been forced into one song, and the result is a confusing, uninteresting mess. Withdrawal has potential, they just need to find their sound, and stick with it. Songs such as "I, Claudius" and "Oct 23" are worth listening to, but they could be so much better. Withdrawal is unique, has potential, and could be blockbusters if they trim back everything but what is truly necessary.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)