Superdrag
(Superdrag Sound Laboratories)
With Industry Giants, its first album in seven years, Superdrag proves a 2003 breakup and a long layoff have done nothing to suck out the feeling. But what the album boasts in energy, it lacks in nuance. With the exception of "Live and Breathe," a brooding alternative rock with John Davis' voice sliding smoothly along the trippy melody, the band never really ventures from an assault of crunching guitars. Those guitars aren't a problem-they've been a staple of the band's sound-but there's a shortage of the well-crafted hooks and tight melodies on which they've built their reputation.
The frenetic pop-punk opener "Slow to Anger" kicks through the speakers while songs like the harmony-filled "Ready to Go" and the arena-ready "I Only Want a Place to Stay" exhibit the band's knack for mixing grit with pop sensibility. But there are but a handful of tracks that distinguish themselves from the walls of distortion pervading the album. And as Davis and company grow even more hellbent on rocking toward the record's close with songs like the raucous "You're Alive" and the blistering punk "5 Seconds Ahead of the Chaos," they move further from their musical strengths.
Standout Tracks: "I Only Want a Place to Stay," "Ready to Go" JASON MIDDLEKAUFF
