Go Radio - Close The Distance Review
rating: 3
If you recall a previous review I did I spoke about how I see Pop music through different lenses, less interested in looking for the genre to innovate and more interested in the music fulfilling its duty as Pop music to be catchy and accessible. However I still hold the genre to high standards, especially in aspects like production, and cannot use catchiness as a fallback when being lazy or dated sounding. Go Radios Close The Distance, despite what the terribly inaccurate genre tags on Wikipedia may try to tell you, is a Adult Contemporary Pop album. Theres not a mainstream radio station in the world that wouldnt eat up singles like Collide with its grandiose presentation, great vocals, and stings of piano and strings. Hell, even looking at these guys makes you think well they sure look like mainstream music darlings. I have to stress that I find nothing wrong with any of that, I do not hate Pop music because it is Pop music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u41kwad6pCM&feature=relmfu However, Close The Distance sounds can sound bland and boring even by the standards set by its own genre. The perfect example of this is the albums second single Go To Hell which just has this overly dated feel to it. The melodies come off as contrived, the piano annoying, and the worst offender is this synthesizer (or possibly high-pitched horn, I really cant tell) that comes in during the end of the song sounding so cheesy that even Styx would be embarrassed to have it in one of their hits. Another grand example is Baltimore, the song just feels drenched in this overly-obtrusive late 90s Pop ballad feel. The tinny, muted, delayed guitar lines create the most perfect storm with the piano line to convey something that feels sodone before. What dates it even further are the string instruments in the background. They sound very two-dimensional and rather poorly produced, actually taking more away from the song than they add in my opinion. Theres nothing particularly redeeming sounding outside the vocals and pop structure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXpbQP0C0uQ This review is not a bash fest however for while Close The Distance may have some lows it also has its share of highs. The aforementioned Collide acts not only as the lead single but easily the best track on the album as it takes many of the elements present throughout the entire trip and does the best job of arranging them in the most effective way. The presentation is flooring as it is the first song to have such bite about it and is definitely the one with the highest chance of being stuck in your head. What I believe this song nails the best is the chorus as it presents the same type of piano play that ends up sounding old in so much of the album elsewhere but here it fits perfectly and adds this great tinge of a shift in the music. Other great songs would include the titular Close The Distance, Things I Dont See, and Over Me but the reason they are the better songs on the album actually yields to one of its greatest downfalls. The album has a bit of tendency of sounding like its pulling the same magic trick with varying results, sometimes the rabbit being pulled out of the hat is pristine and cute and sometimes the rabbit comes out with tobacco stains all over his fur griping under his breath about something that sounds like Im too old for this shit. The songs dont vary from each other to that much of a degree (well most of them, Baltimore in my mind stands out from the pack the most but also kind of sucks) and it comes down to which songs are the most effective at taking this formula and running with it. Theres nothing particularly wrong with this but there are some songs that just feel a little more like they are being left in the dust.
Close The Distance has some very good highlights, some pretty bad moments, and a lot of middle-of-the-road stuff. Its greatest fault is that it sounds like its been done before and not recently but a decade ago but even then it still manages to crank out some banger tracks. Im long done with my high school days of getting mad at Pop music for being at times generic so while I may find some of the tracks total snoozers I must give it credit where it is due when Go Radio are able to put their best foot forward with their music.