(Pravda)
I really wanted to like this one. Texas trio Javelin Boot are one of those bands that you think you'll like before you even crack the shrink wrap on the disc. Good song titles, nice packaging, and they look like guys who don't take themselves too seriously. You know, three guys you'd go to the pub with and have a couple of beers.
That's how I see Fundamentally Sound. If I walked into a college bar and they were playing, I'd probably start tapping my foot, then nodding my head, and eventually thinking "hey - these guys aren't bad!". But away from the beer and the atmosphere, with my focus strictly on the disc in the player, it isn't holding up. All three sing, but of the three only Blake Patterson possesses a voice that has the commanding presence you'd expect from a band on this level. Drummer David Mider is a little on the flat side, and guitarist Dan O'Neill's nasal tone can get a little tiring if you're impatient about these things - and admittedly, I am. Ironically, the three part harmonies are very, very good.
The melodies are pleasant, ranging from folk-pop to surf instrumentals, with the standout clearly being the upbeat "It's All You", with "Jiffy" and "Go" other possibilities (although the Gin Blossoms might have to get some of the royalties). Lyrically, it's a crapshoot. When the band writes about relationships, like O"Neill's "Self-Inflicted", some of the lyrics approach poetry. But other times the metaphors are laid on with a trowel, like "Down" and "Under The Big Top". Still, you have to like a band that can write a song about women's work plights and include the phrase "Her nose pressed against the glass ceiling/She's trying to smell success/But they let her climb the corporate ladder/So they could look up her dress".
I'll bet that Javelin Boot are probably likable on stage and use that approachable aura to their benefit. If they do, they're probably touring a lot of small clubs and college towns, which is where I'd expect them to be with Fundamentally Sound as their benchmark. Hopefully they'll show us what else they have up their sleeve, tighten their sound, and take it to the next level.
