Spring Break
The 88 shows potential on album, needs to stray from mainstream
Joshua Aromin
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Entertainment
11/21/08 - Turn on any radio and you might hear something that sounds like The 88's latest release, Not Only…But Also, because The 88 is a definitive hybrid of every rock/pop band of the last five years.
Reminiscent to sounds of bands like Spoon, Hot Hot Heat, the Strokes and even Oasis, The 88 is nothing special. To add to the continuity, even the lettering on the album cover and actual CD looks like it came off a release by the band, The Killers.
Opening the album with a fast start, "Go Go Go" is a spunky song that begins the album with a misleading spark of hope for complete originality, the kind that's found few and far between. But sadly, the hope for complete originality stopped there.
The band consists of the usual vocals, guitar, piano and drums. At the same time, Not Only…But Also seems to follow a certain pop/rock pattern among run-of-the-mill bands: fast song, fast song, ballad fast song, ballad, or something along those lines.
There are no memorable riffs, mind-blowing vocals, heart-wrenching lyrics or incredible guitar solos that separate The 88 from everyone else, and in today's music, being like everyone else just isn't sufficient.
That's not to say that The 88 is a dreadful band or that gimmicks similar to Weird Al Yankovic or Richard Cheese are needed in order to be successful. But in a world where just being good enough isn't considered doing enough, The 88 is still in need of some kind of musical identity.
With a little more time spent developing the songs for this album, Not Only…But Also could have been a more significant release, but the album sounds as if the band members were simply satisfied, and did not want to put the effort into exceeding what they already had.
The 88 could easily be included on many alternative rock stations or college radio stations as filler songs, but right now, it doesn't have what it takes to transcend mainstream music normalcy.
Without a doubt, The 88 is a band with great potential, with one song even slightly reminding me of The Beatles hit, "A Day in the Life." And though the band has been featured in movies and TV, it needs an explosive next release to break that invisible bubble of conformed musical sameness.
Reminiscent to sounds of bands like Spoon, Hot Hot Heat, the Strokes and even Oasis, The 88 is nothing special. To add to the continuity, even the lettering on the album cover and actual CD looks like it came off a release by the band, The Killers.
Opening the album with a fast start, "Go Go Go" is a spunky song that begins the album with a misleading spark of hope for complete originality, the kind that's found few and far between. But sadly, the hope for complete originality stopped there.
The band consists of the usual vocals, guitar, piano and drums. At the same time, Not Only…But Also seems to follow a certain pop/rock pattern among run-of-the-mill bands: fast song, fast song, ballad fast song, ballad, or something along those lines.
There are no memorable riffs, mind-blowing vocals, heart-wrenching lyrics or incredible guitar solos that separate The 88 from everyone else, and in today's music, being like everyone else just isn't sufficient.
That's not to say that The 88 is a dreadful band or that gimmicks similar to Weird Al Yankovic or Richard Cheese are needed in order to be successful. But in a world where just being good enough isn't considered doing enough, The 88 is still in need of some kind of musical identity.
With a little more time spent developing the songs for this album, Not Only…But Also could have been a more significant release, but the album sounds as if the band members were simply satisfied, and did not want to put the effort into exceeding what they already had.
The 88 could easily be included on many alternative rock stations or college radio stations as filler songs, but right now, it doesn't have what it takes to transcend mainstream music normalcy.
Without a doubt, The 88 is a band with great potential, with one song even slightly reminding me of The Beatles hit, "A Day in the Life." And though the band has been featured in movies and TV, it needs an explosive next release to break that invisible bubble of conformed musical sameness.
