With their debut album, the members of The Low and Sweet Orchestra say Goodbye To All That- goodbye to punk, goodbye to standard rock instrumentation, but also goodbye to making a lasting impression on the smart record shopper.
Most of the band's (you didn't think it was really an orchestra, did you?) members have punk roots. Guitar and banjo player Zander Schloss was a member of The Circle Jerks. Schloss and lead vocalist Mike Martt were both members of Thelonius Monster. Accordion player James Fearnley had previously torn things up with Irish punkers The Pogues, thus adding to the atmosphere of Irish, American country and western, and other European influence.
Those who buy this album may be excited upon hearing such an interesting mix of aural flavors, then realize that the musical structure still leaves something to be desired in terms of intricacy and originality. On a more basic level, the songs were not likely made from an effort at artistic expression but a need to ensure the final product would have a user-friendly appeal.
However, it is the lyrics, not the music, that is the greatest inherent problem with this album. The songs deal with heartache, lost love, and hardship much the way Warrant or Poison dealt with sexuality: senselessly, not attempting to motivate the listener to feel vicariously what is being conveyed musically to some extent. Without realism. Bands getting their start in the industry could be told a million times that lyrics need to be either creative, completely unintelligible (but adding to harmony), or nonexistant to make an impact on an experienced, discerning listener, but many bands would still write songs like these. For all their lyrical and musical enthusiasm, the Low & Sweet take themselves too seriously, to a melodramatic effect. Martt's vocal texture initially reminds the listener of Bruce Springsteen and/or John Popper, but even the lyrics themselves pander to a too-simple aesthetic similar to pop songs of a very by-gone era.
"The most punk thing you can do is expose your emotions, your sadness and joy. The edge lies not in the volume but the emotion," remarked Schloss. Very well said - but the Low & Sweet's one-sided songwriting, while user-friendly as mentioned before, doesn't achieve the unique edge they aspire to.
