Reviews

Amateur Radio Operator

Sirens of Titan

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Review Date: 2007-12-05

How can a group ecapsulate such variety on an album, yet produce multiple songs with the same tempo, mood and feeling?

Good question -- it's one I wish I could ask of Amateur Radio Operator, a sixtet based in Seattle, Washington that produce here their debut, Sirens of Titan.

This dichotomy comes up so often that I have truly dual feelings about this entire album. As a debut, it's solid -- they've got elements of creativity that really made me sit up and pay attention. On the other hand... half their album, if we separated the wheat from the chafe so to speak and played the songs together, I challenge you to tell the difference. Classic concentration, indeed.

But Mark Johnson (guitar, vocals), John Faryar (guitar, effects), Mike Bayer (drums, percussion, back up vocals), Chris Early (bass), Jenna Conrad (cello) and Kevin Suggs (pedal steel/engineering) do indeed try. So kudos for effort.

It starts out with "Watershed." First exposure to Johnson's voice is indeed a pleasant one, since I'm drawn to off-kilter, weird singing. The imagery of water is indeed strong and seems to match the song's tone: melancholy, morose and dare I say, drab, but at the same time as a first taste of Amateur Radio Operators, it's a good one. Speaking of that, the group's eponymous song shows up on track three -- if I were to describe it, I would say "the song's tone is melancholy, morose and dare I say, drab." Except, leave out the part above enjoyable first tastes -- this one is sour in my mouth. It's got the same tempo as "Watershed" and is just as dreary without the water images. The same goes for "Screaming at the Wall," which has the same tempo and tone, but at least this time, there's frustration and anger. "Bottle Trees" however, lacks all of these defining characteristics and is just boring. So there you have it: almost half of the tunes on this album that sound remarkably similar. Sound like a failing grade.

Think again.

There are moments that truly astounded me, such as the song "Milo," which is quite an achievement for the band. It's a six-minute opus, with crescendos and complications that kept me interested -- not to mention, it's even got a touching feel and sound to it. Quite the redemptive song. "No Como Los," and "Dead Air (Sirens of Titans)" also replicate this downright indie goodness -- original, compelling and something I would love to hear live.

But sometimes, it's hearing the good in an album that utterly frustrates me -- particularly when it's surrounded by mediocrity. Four dull songs, balanced against three good ones and two that don't really register at all? The balance sheet isn't that good.

I'd rather have a three song album with quality such as "Milo" than a dozen tunes as underwhelming as "Bottle Trees."

Score: 6

- Kyle Rea