The Wanteds - Failure Looks So Good Review
Posted by JR Simmang on 09.25.2008
Where does a band from Portland, Oregon go when they want to try and put together an album? They go straight into the recording studio and get a little reckless. Failure Looks So Good is hard to pin down and, frankly, they look good doing it.
Track List:
1. Ladysmith
2. Too Soon For Always
3. 365
4. Limitless
5. Heart Shaped
6. Oblivion
7. Perfect
8. Blacksheep Energy
9. Something Boring
For those of you just tuning in, The Wanteds is trying to gain momentum and add to their fan base. Tommy Harrington (vocals), Ryan Mullen (bass), and Adam Mack (drums), completed their second full- length album, Failure Looks So Good. I’m a little stumped with this group. For the first time in a long time, I’m speechless.
The album opens with a kaleidoscope of influences. We have everything from Bush to U2, to Tommy Tutone and Michael Bolton. So, I’m inclined to say that these three are kind of confused about the direction they want to take the band. They seem to throw power chords and heavy bass at you to try and mislead you down a path that you’re not really sure you want to travel yet. If it weren’t for “Heart Shaped,” I’m not sure that I would know when the first song was over.
For a first track, “Ladysmith” isn’t quite half- bad. You get a feel for what The Wanteds is all about. It’s got a great intro, although it takes too long. The three mesh well, the drums keep a steady indie- rock tempo interspersed with nice cymbal work. The harmonies don’t collide or take the front seat. However, I think the guitar solo should have been left out all together. It dragged along, plunking like a beat up pickup truck. It was placed nicely in the song, just not appropriate for the mood. After three minutes and twelve seconds, they have a nice momentum built, and then that. It fails to keep with the tempo. This in one instance where the failure did not look, nor sound, so good.
“Too Soon For Always” has a great Boston feel for the intro. The reverb on the lead and the front and center bass gives the impression of total oneness. This one, in my opinion, is the best song on the album. In fact, I think the album should have been renamed “Too Soon For Always.” The lyrics here sum up the feel of the album. It’s about not finding the right person and never fully being ready for growing up. Plus, this song is the most put together. There’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. The guitar solo about four-sevenths of the way through is nicely executed and the vocals are spot on. The solo vocal break is faultless at the end.
Then we’re blasted with the intro to “365” right after the calm and collected peace at the end of “Too Soon For Always.” Seriously thought I was going to hear “Breathe in, breathe out, breath in, breathe out…” Not only that, but the intro doesn’t match the body of the song. It’s an interesting parallel. I felt like I was listening to bits of three different songs. “Limitless” is a good choice for the song that followed. This is where I started to get a little annoyed with Harrington’s voice. He’s way too stylized in this song, rounding out the ends of his words that clash with the rest of the album. I don’t like the way he sang “limitless.” The strange break before the guitar solo freaked me out and the solo itself was a tad off, again.
And I want to touch on the love song of the album, “Heart Shaped.” It begins like “Everything I Do (I Do It For You).” The manipulation of the drum is highly cheesy. This is an attempt at something beautiful done by a group that doesn’t believe in what they’re writing. The synthesizer makes me laugh. The round, where one person sings a few bars and then another jumps in and starts singing the same thing (think “Row, Row, Row Your Boat), just makes the song fall apart like bleu cheese. I don’t think I could even call it experimental.
“Oblivion” is what the band was meant to write. The chorus is the best part. Mullen gets his fifteen minutes of fame (it’s the expression; the song is not fifteen minutes long)). The lyrics, however, don’t flow with the chorus and the bridge. Again, I felt like I was listening to two different songs. The double bass drum during the bridge is a great touch, and the eerie whisperings add an interesting dimension to the song. The heavy free-for-all three-quarters of the way through the song exemplifies the band’s motive and their niche in the music world. I think this one should make it to the radio. We need more unique music out there.
“Perfect” is far from it and sounds like the rest of the album. Been there, done that. “Blacksheep Energy” is another unique song on Failure Looks So Good. The syncopated rhythm is a nice touch. It’s a great hail to the best 80’s punk groups. It’s cathartic and the band seems to know exactly where the direction of the song is headed. And, we end on “Something Boring.” I could make a joke, but I’ll spare Tommy, Ryan, Adam, and my readers. I don’t like the song. Harrington is trying too hard and it doesn’t match his voice. It’s like trying to wipe a baby’s mouth with sandpaper. You look like an idiot and now you’ve made the baby cry. The garage band jam session feel is counterintuitive to the album and I think does it a disservice. It ends so flatly.
As for the way I feel about the album? The layout needs some work. “Heart Shaped,” and “Something Boring” should have been left out and the guys should have gone for an all out adrenaline rush. Harrington’s voice is unique enough the group should cater to it and not shove it into 1980’s clichés. “Ladysmith” is a great opening song. The group’s got a little growing up to do to contend. They’re not bad, but they need a little polishing. Harrington should take the back seat every now and again or they need a second lead singer, you know, like Garfunkle needed Simon. He’s a little hard to listen to after a while. There you have it.
The 411: Sophomore group from Portland, The Wanteds lays it on thick in Failure Looks So Good. For the most part, the album is cohesive and all members coherent. The lead vocalist grates a little on the ears and sometimes it sounds like there are three or more songs in one. They’re not half- bad, so they’re a little better than half- good. They’re entertaining as background music
