A Rocket To The Moon – On Your Side
Before the release of On Your Side, A Rocket To The Moon was a promising band on the verge of mainstream success. Their old sound from the Summer 07 EP was innovative and the more recent tracks from Greetings From… were a tasteful mainstream change, so now the question is where does On Your Side fall? The first full-length album from ARTTM should have been something special, much like bands that have preceded them (The Maine comes to mind). Unfortunately while it was a good album, it was neither special, nor will it rocket them to a level they haven’t already achieved. To their credit, Nick and his new brigade did try a lot of new and creative styles, ranging from classic pop to country-like tracks. However nothing about the album screams classic A Rocket To The Moon, as if they were still in the infant levels of their music. I cannot tell you what A Rocket To The Moon represents, because while their tracks are fun and entertaining, they don’t possess a common entity, and that’s the problem.
But if I did not have so much faith in A Rocket To The Moon, I would say On Your Side is certainly a worth while listen and a very pleasant one as well. A lot of the track s put emphasis on cute, quirky themes, and as long as you have the stomach for it, the tracks can be more than entertaining, meaningful almost. With track titles like Mr. Right, She’s Killing Me, and Like We Used To, there’s no question as to what the album submerses itself in. But it should be known there is certainly nothing wrong with the individual efforts of the songs themselves. Mr. Right for example is a fantastic pop track wrapped neatly within the confines of alternative instrumentals. The elegant use of acoustic guitar alongside the atypical instruments such as keys, bass and drums cause a rush of pretty feelings. A song that’s pleasantly themed and awful hard to hate on, it’s hopeful and cheesy in a good way. Clever and catchy hooks cap the track, but overall it has a great home style feel, and that’s definitely a plus.
Life Of The Party is another fun pop track, but leans further towards the pop spectrum. It’s clearly more aggressive, but only in comparison. Otherwise, it’s a good-natured track, a little immature in style, but graciously fun. I think this track was really a toss up for me, while entertaining; it did not have the ARTTM ‘swagger’ so to speak, cliché as it may be. What’s left is a cheesy fun song, good at times, just not all the time. Then there’s a track like Sometimes, which seems almost experimental. Sometimes has clever lyrics and I would go so far to say that it’s catchy, but the basis of the track is groovy funk. Considering the dramatic change in vocal style and melody, it just doesn’t really fit the image of the band. A very intriguing listen that’s for sure, and a serious side of ARTTM that is seldom seen, but this is where the album gets confusing for me. As an individual track I thought it was good, very creative, and if not done by ARTTM, I would have enjoyed it even more.
Finally there’s Baby Blue Eyes, which nearly borders the country genre. That said, the track does have the same themes and messages that ARTTM seems to be going for, only it’s performed to a slow, country-inspired ballad. Again as an individual track I thought it was good, heartfelt, and moving to say the least. A Rocket To The Moon has a knack for hitting the soft spot, however simple or hashed their themes may be. This is a talent that I believe in, and it’s definitely their strong suit when it comes to their music. My only gripe seem to be with the inconsistency of the music, and no clear direction for the album. I’m not normally very critical of albums, but I’m bias towards ARTTM because I’ve heard them since the beginning. The original rendition of Fear Of Flying still impresses me till this day.
It seems like ARTTM is consistently changing, improving and trying new things. They definitely did so for On Your Side, and while this is a good thing for an EP, I think a full length album should be a little more consistent. As an album, the tracks together did not work for me, the tracks as individuals, however, did. If I think of this album as a compilation of great tracks by ARTTM, then it more than surpassed what I expected. Nonetheless the talent is still there, the creative juices are definitely flowing, and maybe A Rocket To The Moon just needs a little more time before they grow into a unified style.
Check out their Myspace for more info.
A Rocket To The Moon – Mr. Right
Tags: album
