On the heels of the EP I covered earlier this year, and also on the Hope Division imprint of Equal Vision Records, "3 is the Magic Number" is Action Reaction's debut full-length. I'm sure there are those who will complain about my covering this most fully lightweight disc, especially since I haven't entirely made up my mind on it, but fuck it. For the most part I like it, which makes sense since the aforementioned EP definitely got me curious, but since 11 tracks and 45 minutes of music is a lot more to go on, you get much more diversity from this offering than was encountered on the brief EP. And I'm fine with that, especially since the diversity doesn't stray too far from the quirkily unique fusion of emo, indie, and alternative rock sorts of styles that Action Reaction has created for themselves. Plus, I find Jason Gleason's vocals to be quite strong, and the production is super pristine, so there's always something within these tracks that works for me on some level.
Where I'm somewhat undecided on the full-length is that certain elements of the songwriting simply stretch just a bit beyond my personal tastes, though not to a degree that turns me off, just far enough to make me question, if that makes sense. However, a big part of that stems from the fact that a lot of the material is relatively laidback and restrained in a manner that lacks the memorable energy possessed by a track like "Sinner's Algebra" (which was the best song on the EP and also kicks off this record). There are a few well-placed bursts of energy throughout, though, and when the band opens up like that it definitely makes a difference. But I don't want to insinuate that the trio's less capable when they sink back into softer, chilled out territory, because they're quite adept in that realm—hell, I could actually see them succeeding most there at some point—it's just that the songwriting's not quite there yet in some of those tracks. It's a combination of a slight lack of balance and a slight need to create a hint more differentiation between the overall vibe of the sequencing. So... there are some lulls, but I do enjoy this disc for the most part.
Action Reaction "Sinner's Algebra"
Action Reaction "Can You Hear the Sun?"
Make the grab if this is your thing:
It's almost Friday... finally. Tomorrow should be a big one here if all goes as planned, so keep an eye out...
Comments
For a Swede, they could not have picked a worse title for that album. As if that phrase wasn’t enough when you dialed someone with a cell phone with service from the company 3…
9.28.2006 | By Gabriel
this is actually fairly good. i cant say i got too far into it, but i was wholly surprised at the quality of the songs on the disc.
10.24.2006 | By Anonymous