And oh, was the result potent. An album that was catchy enough to get stuck in your head, and rockin' enough to give you whiplash from the countless hours spent mentally replaying the album. At least, the jaw-dropping first half of it was. From a technical or purely instinctual point of view, it was a masterfully pulled-off affair. Sadly, such a perfect balance cannot be maintained forever.
Ice caps melt, dodos become extinct, and rock overpowers the unsuspecting pop hook.
Identikit , the Burning Airlines' second full-length, is certainly a fine rock record. But with only a few exceptions, it lacks the hooks to really pull you in. But to break from tradition, let's look at the exceptions rather than the rule. It seems that when Bill Barbot left the group, so did the memorable riffs. New bassist and songwriting collaborator Mike Harbin does contribute driving, fluid basslines, and a more dissonant edge, but often, the dissonance seems to accomplishing very little.