New Atlantic – The Streets, The Sounds, and The Love
Label Name: Eyeball Records
I think that New Atlantic has the potential to be huge.
There, I said it. With that out of the way, I shall now tell you why I think such a thing.
From the start of the first track “Cold-Hearted Town,” New Atlantic blasts volley after volley of catchy, well-written lyrics and extremely competent instrumentations.
They have a sound that’s just begging to be slapped on every TV and indie movie soundtrack whenever an upbeat love song is needed.
“Now That You’re Gone” is a prime example of this, featuring a harmonizing piano riff in the background with strong guitars and a very catchy chorus.
Actually, the same goes for pretty much a majority of the album. It’s all catchy, it’s all got a lot of guitar riffs and driving power chords and cymbals.
Which brings me to the biggest problem I find with The Streets, The Sounds, and The Love: if you’re not paying attention, all the songs in the first two-thirds begin to start sounding alike.
It’s not until track 8, “Safer Times,” that the mood of the music or the basic structure of the songs seems to change. It’s much mellower and piano-heavy. It’s a very well-written song, but it stands out amongst the rest of the album because it’s so different from everything else. “Late Night Television,” also stands out because it’s both catchy and more laidback than the earlier tracks.
Then again, track 10 is a little mellow and a little catchy. Track 11 is too.
Basically, the album is split in two parts: the bigger part catchy and loud, the other part catchy and mellow. In no way is the music bad, but if you’re not paying attention to the music, it can sometimes sound like two really long songs.
Each individual song holds up fantastically and I think any one of them could be a hit radio single; however, in the album as a whole, they start to blend together. I think simply reordering the tracks would do the trick, but since the CD’s already out, it’s a little late for that.
New Atlantic is a band that everyone should keep an eye on. This really is a great album and with the right marketing, I think it could sell substantial numbers.
– Nate Williams
nathanmw@ou.edu