Reckless Serenade – Strange Soul EP

Reckless Serenade – a band name that fairly accurately encompasses the juxtaposition of the Mahopac, New York quartet’s competing styles.  On the one hand, the band unleashes some fairly visceral guitar work (think any number of Victory Records bands), while on the other, the vocals strive for the catchy, sing-song style pop-punk that put Bayside on the map.  From a technical standpoint, the band achieves an adequate fusion, with just enough of both categories to appeal broadly to both potential audiences.  But from a less mechanical perspective, their latest EP, Strange Soul, feels like an altogether “middling” output.

The core issue is a classic case of overproduction in the form of slick riffs and pitch perfect vocals.  A song like “Poltergeist” or “Fools Gold” adheres to a strict verse-chorus-verse structure with the spotlight aimed squarely at vocalist Cory Brent.  Reaching almost exclusively for the high notes, he enters the realm of surefire irritation for anyone that doesn’t exclusively listen to Coheed & Cambria on repeat.  Don’t get me wrong, Brent can pull off a mean falsetto, but his application is far too self-indulgent for benefit.  Imagine if Fall Out Boy never toned-down their energy level or offered any vocal variation aside from full speed ahead.  The likeliness of developing a headache would be substantial.

The band attempts to counter their big bouts of excess with – even more excess.  Perhaps the band collectively envisioned that if they swung the stylistic pendulum excessively in one direction, they’d best do the same in the opposite direction.  Unfortunately, such logic doesn’t equate with equilibrium, so while tracks like “With Friends” offer up some undeniably rip-roaring, fast-fingered guitar solos (think Four Year Strong), they do so with little overall advancement of the song or record.  These fleeting moments could easily be removed with minimal consequence to the overall intensity or direction of both the tracks and record at large.  A track like “What Is Good,” with its more casual, loose Anthony Raneri style, feels infinitely more interesting and sincere than its surrounding brethren.

When all’s said and done, Strange Soul simply lacks a compelling draw.  While not innately offensive, the reliance on generic production and high flying choruses suggests that Reckless Serenade was all but chemically formulated for marketing the commercially targeted Hot Topic products that accompany today’s Vans Warped Tour.  Ironically, what the album offers in catchy, high flying tunage, it lacks in heart, and well, soul.