Lido Beach – Fake Hellos, Real Goodbyes

Lido Beach‘s debut CD, Fake Hellos, Real Goodbyes, stands out with some slightly unique artwork. Unfortunately, the positive aspects of the album end there; because the only reason any song on Fake Hellos would standout is because of the irritating vocals – and that’s not a good thing.

As soon as the opening vocal harmony on I Was Wrong came on, I cringed. Sung over an acoustic guitar, I thought this was going to be another pitiful effort to be a soulful acoustic artist like Secondhand Serenade. But as the title suggests, I was wrong. The song soon explodes into a pop-rock tune. Still built on the acoustic guitar, a full band comes in which kicks up the energy and attitude a bit. However, it’s still damn cringe worthy.

Let’s talk about the first and main problem: Scott Waldman. He’s the main man behind Lido Beach and should not be singing. He does not have the vocal reach or talent to make it remotely bearable. His harmonies grind into your head through a high pitched and nasally delivery. Think of a much more annoying version of Simple Plan‘s Pierre Bouvier and you will picture Waldman’s vocals. Whether he’s trying to be more rock oriented like on I’ll Never Cry or a crooner on The Open Air Is Calling, nothing works. The worst is when he goes for the straight out acoustic track (My Oh My or the slightly more energeticScar), there the vocals take a front seat and become more prominent and therefore more aggravating. A weak Jacob Hoggard (Hedley) knock off is probably the nicest thing to say and I can’t stand Hoggard.

Musically, Lido Beach alternates between catchy but forgettable and just plain odd. Most of the songs have a strong enough rhythm to it to get you foot tapping; and It’s Not That Simple has a nice pop-punk feel like Jupiter Sunrise or All That’s Left. But for the most part they go for either a radio college rock sound or a slowed-down emotional track. This constant change in speed and intensity makes for an uneven and disjointed listen and only helps to make the faults of the vocals more apparent.

After playing this CD a few times, I can guarantee one thing, and that is that Fake Hellos, Real Goodbyes will never find its way into my CD player ever again.