The Sunstreak - Once Upon A Lie Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 11.07.2009
With an upbeat rock attitude, and a bevy of keyboard sounds supporting it, The Sunstreak looks to make waves with Once Upon A Lie. Does the album accomplish this task or does it turn out to be a fizzing dud?
The Band
Tony Rebis- Vocals
David Schuler- Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards, Programming
Jack Flynn- Guitar
Jason Sarkis- Bass
Gary Foster- Drums
The Track Listing
1. Once Upon A Lie- 3:51
2. Great White Coma- 3:58
3. Until I Met You- 3:01
4. Only For Tonight- 3:23
5. By The Way- 4:00
6. Stay- 3:23
7. Here I Go Again-3:38
8. Everyday-3:38
9. Here In My Arms-4:11
10. What Else Can I Do?-3:37
11. I’m Through-3:43
The Review
The Sunstreak is a rock band with pop tendencies, with a heavy keyboard presence providing adequate piano and synthesizer lines. The songs are rigidly structured, lyrically sappy, and about as inoffensive as mainstream music can get. The eleven tracks on Once Upon A Lie weave through sensitive ballads and upbeat rockers that would seem perfect for those who have Daughtry and Nickelback on their play lists.
There are moments on Once Upon A Lie where this claim can be justified, but the album as a whole doesn’t seem tailor-made for the type of booming success that others in the genre have achieved. The potential is there, bubbling deep underneath the surface, but the hooks just aren’t there on a good portion of the material. When the band misses the mark, which they do more often than they should, it’s pretty messy. The songs don’t leave any impression, even after multiple listens, resulting in an album that floats along like a deflated raft in a violent river.
The early minutes of the album start out promising enough. The opening title track is a punchy tune that has the right infectious edge to result in one of the few memorable performances. There is a youthful energy that emits from the band that brings a dynamic flare to the proceedings. This energy pops up throughout, most notably on the punk-ish tempo of “Everyday” and the meaty guitar work on “Only For Tonight.”
The keyboards are a main ingredient for a lot of the album, especially on the melodic, mid-paced tunes. “Stay” has a synth-driven groove that recalls late 80s hard rock and the bouncy “Until I Met You” runs along a tasteful piano lead. Keeping mostly to the background, the keys add color to a formulaic sound. Even with the cheesy ballads that weigh down the last third, the keys make them tolerable.
The obligatory acoustic ballad was not surprising, but three of them in a row tacked on at the end turned out to be a disappointing discovery. While each one has differences between them, they are very subtle and don’t completely change the complexity of what has now become the standard for rock balladry. Vocalist Tony Rebis has a good range, making these songs tolerable. “Here In My Arms” is the best uplifting tune out of the bunch, with a solid solo and emotionally-charged chorus. This is the type of song that could get radio airplay and elevate the band into the spotlight.
The lyrics are awful clichés of lost love and relationships that seem to be regurgitated from every up-and-coming rock band out there today. “Until I met you, my world was empty/ until I met you, the sky was gray” and “promise you/ promise you that/promise I’ll never change” are only the brief nuggets of wisdom that Rebis imparts on the listener. The lyrics alone indicate that this album is geared towards a female audience of a younger generation, which isn’t necessary a bad thing, but also isn't an innovative or original idea.
Then again, the same thing could be said about Once Upon A Lie in general. It’s an average mainstream rock album with the added gimmick of a keyboard to liven things up. The band plants the seeds for something great, but never lets them properly grow into worthwhile compositions. The songwriting needs a few tweaks, especially when it comes to writing hooks. The songs with a heavier vibe actually work out well, as do a few of the more touching numbers, but as a whole, it is as generic as contemporary rock can get. The Sunstreak shouldn’t be discounted off the bat, as there are instances where everything clicks, and the band sounds posed to take over the world. However, Once Upon A Lie shows that they still have a lot of work to do to reach that lofty goal.
The 411: Once Upon A Lie is an average rock album that doesn't add anything significant to the formula they entrench themselves in. The roots for greatness are there, but the band needs to works on writing catchy hooks and balancing the heavier and lighter material. The title track and "Here I Go Again" are infectious and bouncy, but don't leave much of a long-term imprint on the listener. For now, Once Upon A Lie is an album with a ton of potential, but far from a knockout success.
