CDVS: Burning Brides Vs. Chinese food

You eat Chinese food and an hour later you're hungry again. It's an old cliché, of course, but it's also a useful metaphor for assessing all kinds of things in modern culture. It can be applied to a range of commodities, from romantic comedies to network sitcoms to summer beach reads--things that taste pretty good going down but usually fail to have a lasting impact.

Certain kinds of music also fill the bill, such as garage rock. Just as I enjoy the entrees at Panda Express and Pick Up Stix, I eagerly scoop up the latest garage band album in hopes of hearing something fresh and exciting. And guess what? That's exactly what I tend to hear on the first listen. The other day, for example, I got a hold of the Burning Brides' new album, Leave No Ashes, and gave it a listen. I was instantly enthused, proclaiming to the Mercury staff that I had found an awesome CD, perhaps worthy of five stars.

But time was not on the Brides' side. As excited as I was during that first listen, I didn't find myself eagerly awaiting a second run through the album. And when I eventually got around to it, the album soon dropped from five stars to four to three. It became "decent," then shrunk to "not bad."

The problem with the Burning Brides--and with a lot of garage rock--is that so much of it sounds alike and is thus instantly forgettable. Leave No Ashes is appealing for its overall pace and tone. This is pure rock 'n' roll, featuring fuzzy guitar, bouncy bass, pounding drums and a swaggering vocalist. You got your grungy number ("Come Alive"), your punkish rager ("Alternative Teenage Suicide"), your Sabbash-esque dirge ("To Kill a Swan"), your alt-radio opportunities ("Pleasure in the Pain," "From You"). But none of the 12 tracks really stands out. The lyrics are smarter than most, yet aren't likely to entice many to sing along.

Leave No Ashes is not bad. In fact, within the growing garage genre, it's well above average. But it's still less filling than the orange chicken at Panda Express.--Geoff Schumacher