BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
This is the periodic column where I listen to a band or artist that I’m not familiar with for the first time and give an honest stream of consciousness as I review what I’m hearing. Sometimes it’s a band I’m vaguely familiar with and sometimes it’s a totally new experience. It can result in me enjoying a few hours of newer acts like “In This Moment” or icons I never encountered liked Simon and Garfunkel. Other times it’s a punishment that I get myself into. Regardless, I’m honest and open minded.
Why The Script?
Why not The Script? I’m not expecting my mind to be blown. Sometimes you just have to accept music for what it is. Not every album is going to be “The Wall” or “The Chronic”. Sometimes soulful pop-like rock should be judged as what it is. I’m expecting some crooning, some light stuff, and some stuff that I’d generally not like. It’s up to the music to change my mind. Regardless, I’m going to be open minded and optimistic I take something of positive value from the experience of listening to the three studio albums by this band.
The Script
(2008 – 39 minutes) - I have no idea what to expect so let’s just dive in. The album opens with an almost eerie build up in "We Cry". Instantly the smooth, R&B-ish vocals hit over the chillaxing groove and I think about Maroon 5. On the surface I want to automatically brush it off as something for the “easy listening” crowd. It’s not. There is a bit more substance in the lyrics and I even hear the “f-bomb”. I listen to gangsta rap and metal, but hearing it in a context like this was more jarring and unexpected. By the end of the song I’m tapping along to the contagious hook. I could have lived without the police sirens in the distance. It just about pushes it into the “corny” category. I like the music on "Before the Worst". The piano and the base line stand out. The vocals sound good, but they go in one ear and out the other until the chorus hits. I’m not even sure if it’s a good chorus or if it’s just good because it pulls you out of the verses.
"Talk You Down" has a nice intro, but the second the base drops and the song breaks it loses a tiny bit of steam and goes into a more predictable direction. I’m not hating on it though because it’s my favorite of the couple songs I’ve heard so far. The lyrics are deep and go on to tell a really good story basically about how far someone will go for someone over love. I really like the bridge and how it complements the song. Well done. I didn’t have as much connection or interest in "The Man Who Can't Be Moved". Ironically, I just wasn’t “moved” by it. It lingered too much within its own limits. "Breakeven" is a downtempo groove that breaks into a soulful yawn about a minute in. I know for a fact that I’ve heard this song before. The whole “falling to Pieeeeces” part really stands out to me as something I’ve encountered before. It’s not a bad pop rock song, but it’s not my cup of tea. I actually almost instantly get into "Rusty Halo". It’s a catchy dance track. It reminds me a lot of The Police. It has almost a rasta-beat and the vocals make me think the vocalist could start a damn good Sting cover project. That said, it’s a good song. The line about “looking through the bible for loopholes” is awesome. The opening vocals on "The End Where I Begin" are very good and engaging. I was worried the song would break into a generic sounding pop song, but it’s subtly accompanied by a wonderful piano track. Shit! I spoke too soon. It DOES break down into a shitty R&B bridge that totally takes the track into the wrong direction. This could have been better if it hadn’t strayed from it’s simple and strong structure. "Fall for Anything" is a fairly boring song. It’s well sung and the music is well produced, but it just doesn’t pull you in. It’s almost so clean that the soul of it feels artificial. "If You See Kay". That’s the title of this song. Get it? “iF.U.C.K”! So witty! It’s a croony track. He’s putting on his best Stevie Wonder vocals. It sounds like something that teenage girls would listen to as safe “rebellion” to their parents grounding them. I just can’t take it serious.
The album closes with the ballad "I'm Yours". It’s a slow brewing track that takes you adrift through a nice song. The music is beautiful and the vocals are delivered just right. For a pop ballad, it’s one of the better ones I’ve heard in a while. It’s one of those songs where all the ingredients come together in such a way that you have no choice but to be enthralled by it. It could very well be the best song on the album. Really though, this is a weird album. It’s a pop rock album. It’s a bunch of white guys crooning and pulling R&B out of their asses like a Maroon 5 or Robin Thicke. At the same rate, they do their own thing. They don’t go full cookie-cutter. They have edge, substance, and a genuine voice. It’s just a strange genre to still find legit substance in. It sounds good, sometimes too good. I’d like to hear some unperfected embellishments, some artistic vulnerability, and less pop from these guys. Never the less, I’m curious as to how they evolve. I hope for deeper and less poppy substance, but I hear they could go full pop-rock and bore me to death. I’m going to be optimistic, but it doesn’t matter. Let’s get into it…
Science & Faith
(2010 – 42 minutes) - The sophomore album starts off slowly. “You Won't Feel a Thing" is catchy, but nothing too amazing. I kept waiting for a twist. A lyrical surprise, a musical change up… something. It’s a cut and dry track. Bummer. The same can be said for "For the First Time". It’s a down tempo ballad. It’s a smooth R&B rock track, but it’s not very engaging. "Nothing" gets us on the right track. This song seems way more inspired and has more personality to it. It’s a nice uplifting mid-tempo song. Some aspects of these songs have a “country-pop” thing to them, sorta. The title track "Science & Faith" is a fun song. The opening of it is an interesting build up, but surprisingly it doesn’t go anywhere. It fizzles and then lifts back up with the cutesy chorus. Songs like this make me picture dudes who wear T-shirts and vests as a clothing choice. I’m not digging this. "If You Ever Come Back" pulls something “different” out of the band. It’s another song that instantly reeks of personality. It’s got more of a groove to it and the change-up in vocal deliveries really work to make it a dynamic and interesting song. By the time the chorus hits, you’re enthralled. This is by far the best track on the album so far. "Long Gone and Moved On" feels like a bit like a U2 track at the start. The vocals really have a stammery-Bono thing going on, but respectfully are NOT Bono’s. It’s a pretty good ballad. It has life to it and turns out to be a really good song. I was worried this album was going to turn me off into a negative direction, but a few more songs like this and I’ll at least be a fan. "Dead Man Walking" is cool. I really like the opening. The break gets us to a mildly funky melody that you just can’t help but nod a long to. The soulful chorus vocals pull me out of the song. The chant/hip hop portion is cool, but the falsetto vocals make a fun song not so fun. I got lost in "This = Love". It lulls you into a stooper and then boom! It’s breaks into a half-awesome song. "Walk Away" is okay and then B.o.B. chimes in. It feels really forced. The two styles do not complement each other at all. Yikes. This album closes out with "Exit Wounds". I like it. It’s got a really good melody and it’s catchy without pushing too hard at you. The falsetto vocals here really work and make the track better. I appreciate this song more than just about any others so far. This album wasn’t that bad. At first it was a bit too “clean” for my liking. It came back around with some more grounded rock stuff. These dudes are genuinely talented, but sometimes it feels like their direction is a bit too cluttered. I’d like to see them really go all out in one area. Like more rock focused or even more pop focused. I understand the desire to “mix it up”, but what they’re doing on this album does not spotlight the obvious talent these dudes have. Hopefully I get what I’m looking for on their most recent release…
#3
(2012 – 45 minutes) - The band’s most recent LP kicks off with "Good Ol' Days". It’s a pleasant song. It has a solid beat and I’ll admit to nodding my head along to it. I’d imagine this song being fairly popular on pop rock stations and with the kiddies. It’s got more “street” going for it than other songs of theirs. It sounds a little hokey to hear them force that kind of thing, but it sounds good. "Six Degrees of Separation" is a soulful ballad armed with nice vocals and a piano intro. It breaks into a break beat that’s not too jarring or wacky. The chorus hits and it works. This is a well-produced track and sounds like exactly what this band should sound like evolving from the past two albums of work. I really like this one. Apparently I have heard "Hall of Fame", but I always thought it was a will.i.am track. He’s on it, but it’s them. This is a song that’s played in commercials and video packages. It’s a good up-lifting song for high school athletes to rock out in attempt to validate their efforts. It’s gotta be one of those songs that high school seniors are using as their “class song”. If I were part of the class to make this decision I’d be pissed off and annoyed. This song just brings that out of it. I channel my inner angry teenager and want to turn this song off ASAP. Luckily "If You Could See Me Now" kicks in to save me the hassle. Sadly, it’s pretty much the same thing. How can this NOT be a graduation song or a “class song”? It’s a nice positive message and all of that. It sounds okay and is produced nicely, but it lacks any of the genuine edge of their earlier stuff. I don’t care if they wear hoodies and hang out with the Black Eye Peas, this is easily the most cookie-cutter bubble gum stuff I’ve heard from this group so far. It’s not making me that excited to carry on, but I do anyway. "Glowing" dials back some of the bullshit. The song has a more grounded vibe to it. It’s a breath of fresh air because it doesn’t sound super produced and overly done. There is a hint of rawness to this song, which makes it better automatically. It proves how out of touch I am with the pop-rock world that this was NOT a single. The stuff that sounds like it’d be in a Coca-Cola commercial or a CW show IS the singles. There’s no way around that. But then there’s track like this that are legit. "Give the Love Around" has my interest during the casual build and then it breaks into some “cool” hip-hop vocals. Then it breaks into chant-ish Police sounding verse. I can’t get into this at all. The “listen to my swagger voice” hip-hop stuff in this is craptacular. Who the hell is this band? It sounds like this is their direction now as "Broken Arrow" hits. I really don’t mind the non-rap stuff on this, but the rap stuff is just so forced and painful. How can this get out there? Who is buying this? How can they release such decent music and then go this route and be able to take themselves seriously? This pep rally jibberish is rough. "Kaleidoscope" is a real song. There is a wonderful wall of sound that pulls you in. I’m not sure if it’s a really good song or if that’s just in comparison to the stuff I didn’t get into. Regardless, I enjoy the listen. "No Words" goes right into a solid and smooth R&B groove. This feels right and more natural. It doesn’t come off as forced and has a laid back vibe to it. I was really into it until random “rap guy” add-ons and embellishments popped up in the background. All in all, it’s a solid tune. "Millionaires" closes the album out. It’s a slower ballad. It’s not bad. It’s catchy and sweet. It doesn’t stay around too long. It ends and that’s that.
THE VERDICT
(2009 – ) - This band isn’t for me. I know that. Some of my criticism were unfair, but they were honest and in the moment. But just because it’s not my cup of tea doesn’t mean my ears don’t work. I can tell if I think a certain song is “good” or “bad” based on my own tastes and assessment. I could be totally off, but it’s just my opinion. The only way you’d be able to tell is to listen yourself. To me, they were a bit flat. I can hear tons of talent and potential, but the direction they took on their latest album sounded like a typical commercial cash grab. It was a bummer. If the band’s intentions with going with the tired “listen to our swagger” rap delivery was from a genuine place then I’m cool with it. I just have no reason to believe it either way. I just didn’t like what I heard. It sounded like stuff that was manipulatively aimed towards the dumber high school kids. It’s stuff the girls that decorate the school dances would listen to as they write the unobtainable football captain’s name over and over again on their three ring binder. Does that stuff still happen? If it does, the soundtrack for it is taken care of. I’d like to hear these guys go more of a rock route, but I have suspicions that won’t happen unless Top 40 radio itself goes more of a rock route. I hope I’m proved wrong. It would be a shame for that this talented group to be wasted.
What is YOUR favorite Script album?
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