Blackbud--From the Sky

Recipe for Blackbud brew: one dash of bland, snippets of subpar Smashing Pumpkins, a bit of U2, mix The Coral and Echo & the Bunnymen before adding a healthy dose of vocals (soured just enough for an unsavory taste), all into a base of English prog rock, remembering to remove edginess. Okay, so that might be a tad harsh, after all the debut release from the Wiltshire trio isn’t bad per say, it’s just, well, bland. The album isn’t all that exciting, edgy, or memorable frankly, but what it is is a good blend of pop rock, served in a pretty package that will go in one ear and out the other without offending or wracking a blood vessel on the way.

The instrumentals stay unfiltered and clean mostly throughout the release, and although that may lose your interest they are still good, with quick and dirty little guitar solos popping up here and there. While the instrumentals may hold talent, they do get repetitive and tiring by the end of the album. As does vocalist Joe Taylor’s singing, which is for the most part pleasurable but does get whiney and strained. Even if you can’t listen to the album all the way through, at least stop by and give your ear some candy with “1 5 8,” Blackbud’s knock-out tune that shows the best of what they have to offer. Big powerful guitars backing vocals that take Taylor’s before-mentioned voice and run with it, making it shine in dramatic climaxes decorated with symbol crashes.

Even if the album gets a yawn here or there or is switched off after the first few songs, Blackbud has shown potential for a hit later in their musical life. A decent debut, “From the Sky” is a tad bland, but as long as Blackbud keeps their head above water with songs like “1 5 8,” I’ll keep listening.