Diary of a Sensitive Band
Office Boredom 1; The Midway State 0
The Midway State
Holes
Released on Jul 22, 2008
Holes is the debut full length from Toronto's The Midway State. The album plays out like that big Dawson's Creek reunion special twenty-somethings have been pining over mid-mornings
while dozing off at the office Xerox machine. Questions abound in
moments like these; do we really care what happened to the characters
on Dawson's Creek, what the hell happened to James Van Der Beek, and wouldn't it be funny if I made photocopies of my genitalia?
We'll get back to my genitalia later. Like any piano driven pop
music sung by overly sensitive men, the listening public must remain
suspect of The
Midway State.
Too often are we lulled into peaceful audio sedation by groups like
these (Coldplay,The Fray) and too often do they sell big bundles of
records. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Air Supply and think Keane
could kick Coldplay's snobbish ass any day of the week. The problem
with bands like The Midway State is that they take themselves way too seriously.
Singer Nathan Ferraro's competent vocals are fit for a lovelorn snippet in any episode of Grey's Anatomy. Ferraro's
"Michael McDonald" falsettos (Change For You) can be a bit too much
syrup on your pancakes. "Fireflies" is the most aggressive track on Holes, tapping
into a Zepplin-like verse chug followed by a waifishly pretty chorus.
The song also showcases Ferraro's talented ability to add piano accents
at just the right moment. "Unaware" heads into pure Ben Folds
territory, with its "awe shucks" chorus and minor key verse. But the
up tempo "Fire Keeps On Burning" may bring to mind a constipated Jack
Black writing demos for the latest Tenacious D album.
I'm assuming the title of the album, Holes, refers to sticking your head in something when you just want to get away from a sour relationship. The Midway State deliver on the emotional choruses and big U2 guitar delay effects, but
front man Nathan Ferraro's lyrics come off like school girl diary
entries that meander into motivational help seminars.
Which brings me back to the concept of photocopying my genitalia.
It's dangerous, exciting, and possibly much more enjoyable than
listening to the latest from The Midway State.
High Point
"Fireflies" is a surprisingly fun track to wrap your heart strings around.
Low Point
"Fire Keeps On Burning" takes the concept of rhyming the words "Fire", "Desire", and "Higher" to new horrible levels.
Posted by Joe Roth on
Nov 06, 2008 @ 9:30 pm
