Barcelona - Absolutes
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Does the world need another Coldplay? Certainly lots of bands would love to have a fraction of Coldplay's popularity and all that comes with it. Maybe a better question would be "will people jump on the bandwagon of groups like Barcelona that take their cues from Coldplay?" The idol-worship is all here: melodies that begin delicately before evolving into a polished swoosh, concise bursts of well-played but less than exciting guitar and of course melodramatic vocals. Singer Brian Fennell does a pretty good job of playing the "sensitive guy" here but by the middle of the album it becomes clear that he's pretty much a one-trick pony and otherwise potentially awesome songs like "The Takers" suffer as formulaic. From there on it gets more and more difficult to appreciate Absolutes. Fennell's lyrics convey the message he's trying to send---you people who are choking on life and love and desperately trying to reconcile---you're not alone. By the end of this album they're probably not awake either. As obvious as it is that this trio misses their mark here it's also obvious that with a little tweaking they could find themselves eventually playing with the big boys.
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Barcelona - Absolutes
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