posted 05/30/2008 (Fri) @ 11:47 pm
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Pitchblend - The Lines of Unreason (2008)
A long way to go with no punch
- Sirens
- Celsius
- Design Our Own Escape
- Four
- Somewhere I Could Never Find
- Balance Restored
- Everything From Here On
- Searching for Satellites
- Revelation
- December Song
- Timeless
- Foundation for Reason and Science
- Sirenna
Pitchblend have occupied a coveted position in the underground rock consciousness, grabbing accolades like “Best Unsigned Band of the Year” around the same time like-minded space-rockers/pseudo-shoegazers My Vitriol were tearing up the UK charts. Like that band, they have taken their sweet damn time in putting out new material. Whether due to label pressure, pressure to find a label, or something else, it has proved taxing even on the patience of diehard fans. The question remains: is it worth the wait?
Not really. Most of what is up for sale here has been around for years, and is in much unchanged form. Tunes like “Revelation” feature vocal stylings that fall somewhere between Mansun and Muse, and guitar crunch paired with guitar histrionics in perfect ratio, showcasing Pitchblend at their best. Elsewhere, “Timeless” is a truly epic track with one of the finger-meltingest solos of recent memory, and plenty of delay pedal and whammy love added in for spice and good measure. Adrenaline floods like these are the reason for Pitchblend’s fame to date.
Unfortunately, while there are other moments of elation on “The Lines of Unreason,” the album overall fails to deliver on the hype. Aside from being guilty of padding this record out with many songs that sound nearly the same in formula, Pitchblend simply do not possess the same album-long magic aura or electricity of other groups in this genre like My Vitriol or Muse, and their songwriting style falls short of competing in the mainstream pop arena with the likes of space pop-rockers 30 Seconds to Mars.
Considering that “Revelation” and “Timeless” have been streamable from Pitchblend’s official site for at least four years, it is difficult to recommend this album in its entirety when those two songs are among its best moments (see also “Everything from Here on In” and “Design Our Own Escape”). Here’s hoping for a more varied sophomore effort. And a much shorter wait for it.
Tags: disappointments, dream pop, hard rock, shoegaze, vocalists
