Somerset – Pandora

I have an incredibly large amount of respect for the good people at PunkNews.org. There’s no other way to say it, I really respect them. They are always professional, give direct and good news and is easily one of the best, if not the best, punk site around. It doesn’t have as many crazed followers like AbsolutePunk has, but it has a solid community full of varied opinions that make it interesting to stop by and check out. Not only have the three owners helped introduce kids to some of the older bands and lesser known bands that are now their favorites, they’ve also put on their own tour, had their own radio show, Scott Hiesel was even asked to work at Alternative Press because of his reputation and a lesser known fact is that labels have actually asked their opinions on bands before signing them. To receive that kind of respect from people the likes of Mr. Brett is incomparable. So its about time that they took things into their own hands and start their own label, and that’s what they’ve done with Punk News Records. Their first release isPandora by Somerset and right away, they are in my good books just based on the label on the back of their case.

But nonetheless, let me state that although I have tons of respect for Hiesel and the gang, I haven’t always agreed with some of their reviews and favorite bands. And Somerset is one of them. Now, that’s not saying that Pandora is completely horrible, because it does have its up sides. Like the infectious, cynical chorus of Clockwork (Honey, this is the end. Take my hand as we send, all these people straight to hell. We can watch them defend, all their lives and pretend that life is really death). At the same time though, those upsides are countered by the downsides of the album, and in some cases, the downside is winning. Take for example the painful end to the album opener, Open Books. The song starts of moderately well, but ends with over a minute of feedback and static guitars that sound like they’ve been thrown to the ground. It’s not the first time bands have used that effect, but it normally ends the album, not kicks it off.

Musically, they have some solid songs. Always leaning towards the melodic emo sound, the extremely polished songs are able to keep the listener’s attention for the most part. Sadly, they break the mold a few times with songs like the agonizing Dandelion Wine. The one minute 39 second acoustic wannabe ballad becomes painful to hear within the first few seconds. Luckily, they don’t do that too often, and are able to pick up the pace with Rhyme Over Reason afterwards.

In all honesty, I think Punk News Records could’ve easily chosen a better band to be the first on their label. It is a little too generic for me to truly enjoy, but I still have a large amount of respect for the trio over there. I just hope their second release is a little bit better.