The Spill Canvas – No Really, I’m Fine

Thanks to a cleverly written review, when I think of The Spill Canvas, I think of grass growing and the hulk making a random appearance. While an odd comparison, it is a rather accurate one for the band’s sophomore release as One Fell Swoop was relatively bland with one or two moments that stuck out. Still, comparing it to grass growing may have been a tad harsh. With their third release, The Spill Canvashave done little to change my picture of the band because once again their record is relatively bland with only one or two moments that stand out a little bit.

No longer the acoustic child of musician Nick Thomas, No Really, I’m Fine sees The Spill Canvas using the full band with force and going for a harsher sound that is much more alt-rock oriented than their previous efforts. In fact, gone are the acoustic ditties completely, as every song on No Really, I’m Fine receives the full instrumental treatment. Now attempting to be a true alt-rock band, The Spill Canvasnever dive into the cliche that is the acoustic ballad, which is odd but seems like the right choice.

Instead of the acoustic emo sound that Thomas built his career on, No Really, I’m Fine is a much darker release. Still showing some talented guitar work, the record is a lot heavier than the band’s previous effort and it works quite well for the most part. The record jumps out of the starting gate with four powerful rock tunes cumulating with the highlight of the album: The Truth – a song that is actually worth a few good listens and a chorus that completely captivates you. However, after that, No Really, I’m Fine turns towards the dark side and starts to become rather bland; more exciting than grass growing, but only by a bit.

The guitar work is still there but there’s not enough intensity or diversity amongst the songs to make them memorable or palatable. Thomas’ vocals stay constant but fail to evoke any real emotion. He showed some reach in The Truth but rarely reaches that plateau again; and when he does try and reach the high notes, the falsetto delivery becomes annoying quickly. Just take a listen to Bleed (an otherwise decent song) and Appreciation and The Bomb and you’ll see what I mean. The only songs that deviate from the standard alt-rock format are Low Fidelity which a horn section that brings the chorus to new heights and Connect The Dots which has a creepy but cool vibe to it.

While quite a lot better than its predecessor, No Really, I’m Fine still fails to evoke any real emotion. Once again, a few moments that stick out but not enough to keep you coming back.