Time and Distance - Gravity Review

Posted by Marshall Slayton on 08.01.2009

The under-the-radar pop-rock band Time and Distance from West Virginia releases their third album, now as a trio. They've already toured with the likes of Midtown, Boys Like Girls, and Hit The Lights. How does their new album compare with those other bands?



1. First Time Caller, Long Time Listener
2. 33 1/3
3. For Real
4. Living in Fiction
5. Away We Go
6. Baby Be
7. Sunday
8. Sell
9. Waiting
10. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
11. On My Own
12. Gravity

Time and Distance is to Greg McGowan what Nine Inch Nails is to Trent Reznor. Or, more accurately, what Dashboard Confessional is to Chris Carrabba.

The West Virginia singer/songwriter used to record solo with an acoustic guitar, but has since expanded his project to become a trio. The feel of Gravity is more expansive than ever before, kicking up the distortion pedal and packing the intensity of a full-fledged rock group. The result is entertaining and light, and should please fans of Boys Like Girls, Hit The Lights, and Hidden in Plain View. It’s pop rock with extra attention to pop – the female crowd will eat it up, as the band members look like they just hit puberty – and ready for love. (Especially the little one.)



If I were to pick one single from the album, I would have to give it to “Away We Go.” This is the kind of song that Time and Distance does best: it has a catchy hook, a sense of confidence, and a dash of piano to make it more beautiful. The “do do do do!” chorus belongs to something from Motown, and it's easy to picture lots of screaming female fans belting it out at concerts. And like the best songs, it tells a story -- about a girl, of course. One who apparently doesn't like the protagonist’s addiction to cigarettes and coffee, or at least wants a little herself. What kind of a heartless girl won't show affection with her friends around? Still, despite the abstract love story, ”Away We Go” is the best song on here. It not just represents Time and Distance at their best, it could be their unofficial anthem. It has “radio friendly” stamped all over it -- I wouldn't be surprised if Clear Channel picked this up for on-air distribution somewhere along the way.

The other song that really stuck out is “First-Time Caller, Long Time Listener” -- and not just because it has one of the most unique titles on the album. I liked it because it opens with a steady drumbeat and a clean electric guitar riff, which, for some reason, is not common with this band. Most of the songs on Gravity open with vocals, relying on McGowan’s lyrics to provide the hook instead of plain old instrumental music. The lyrics on this example are compelling -- the protagonist reminisces about love gone wrong and still feels bitter about it. He mentions turning to alcohol and having demons inside of his mind, which, if you've ever been in love, you know exactly what he's talking about. (Alcohol is a great remedy for those demons.)



“33 1/3” sounds identical and is also about love gone sour, finding McGowan taking to the road for the umpteenth time to find a girl whom likely treated him horribly. Why can't good guys just get a break? Why are men the only tortured souls in Time and Distance world?

On the other side of things, a real missed opportunity is the album closer, “Gravity.”The song finds a great hook with ashes to ashes / they fall when they fall / and try to take it all. I love the combination of piano and drumming here, and felt like they could have taken that expansive sound to the next level. Just when the song begins an instrumental musical outro, it begins a fade out, which is incredibly disappointing. The same goes for the chorus: when they find one that works, they use it only once. It feels like a missed opportunity, a moment where McGowan could prove that his three-piece are capable of making great music, but fall short because the song is too brief and ends the album on its most interesting note.

It's very sad that songs like “Sunday,” “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades,” “For Real,” and “Living in Fiction “ never caught on. These were points when I felt all of these songs bled together, and I couldn't distinguish them apart, even on multiple listenings. And I want you to know -- I tried. I really tried. That isn’t to say the album is a failure... it isn’t. Most of these songs are well written; they tell stories about romances gone wrong, they're interesting to listen to, and they pander to the right crowd. They simply lack hooks and choruses that drag you along for the ride and set them apart from other low-key emo rock bands.

As is, it's a good effort from a lesser-known band. When you have bigger name groups such as Dashboard Confessional, Secondhand Serenade, and Boys Like Girls all pitching to the same crowd, you really need to do something unique to make yourselves stand apart. With Gravity, Time and Distance is getting closer, but hasn't reached that point yet. I hope with their next album, they release more songs like “Away We Go"; anthem worthy tracks with solid memorable choruses and a little more experimentation to push themselves forward.

The 411: The press release quotes an unnamed critic (probably their manager) who said, "Time and Distance is a movement. Can their songs change the world? I'm not sure, but this band has the hooks, talent, songs and looks to make the takeover." I only agree with half of that. Their music certainly won't change the world and it's not a movement -- not at this point. They have the talent, they have the looks, and they have the songs. But not the catchy hooks. Not yet. Once they get those, they'll be able to climb the emo-pop-rock evolutionary ladder. As it stands, it's pretty average.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]