Got a problem? Get the Solutions!
It’s funny how things turn out in life. I stumbled upon this band, Solutions on MySpace and realised that they were about to release their debut offering, ‘Before The Roars’ in February (although you can get a free download now, folks!). The Cardiff rockers have a sound that is a mix between The Loved Ones and Plymouth’s Crazy Arm, and it’s interesting to note that not only am I a fan of both of these bands, but aside from also reviewing them both, Crazy Arm have also played along side Solutions. There are beginning to be some really great bands coming out of Britain that favour a more heavier sound instead of that insipid and annoying Indie sound that we seem to churn out…
The opening track on, ‘Before The Roars’ is ‘Fighting Tigers’ which we get some big guitar riffs a little like Zeppelin, before the strained vocals kick in a little like Chuck Ragan in Hot Water Music. The band fit nicely into that slot that is a head-on collision with Punk and Hard Rock. Next we have the jerky beats and riffs of, ‘The Rest Will Follow’ which has elements of Ska meets Post-Hardcore without ever being those genres. It’s thick with riffs with lyrics that are well thought out and poignant. It’s a little Alexisonfire in places which is certainly not a bad thing. This leads us perfectly to, ‘I Turned To Knife Crime’ whereby the half shouting lyrics start with, “We spray the walls with curses and insults // Empty promises line the floors we pace down // We used to talk before the walls // took us for every letter we loved and left us this relentless anger //”.
It is evident once again that the band don’t just throw some words of love and desire together in the great named song, ‘You Can’t Outnumber A Mathematician’. With some melodic guitars, and vocal bridges that are more strained than normal, we also get the almost sing-a-long lyrics of, “Reckless new dawns // reignite the waning fires // that should be left alone // The stereo makes no sound // but you’ll be waiting round for hours // for that song to take you home”. It’s a great song. Then we have some head-nodding beats and riffs in the rocky, ‘A Devil Among The Dancers’.
Musically, ‘Where The Good Ships Go’ is fantastic with rolling drum beats, hard guitar riffs that then stop for chunky bass lines to chug along freely before jumping in again feverishly - it’s pure joy. The lyrics have a slight maritime feel using these analogies to explain the frustrations of life well, and then finishing in a complete key change that works very well. It is then perhaps the greatness of the last song that makes, ‘Sons Of Daughters’ seem a little more average for the band. The guitars are no less extreme and certainly lyrically again the song is great, but against the other tracks this is not one of my favourites.
‘Mary Anne, Come Out Tonight’ is dedicated to the band’s friend, Alyn Thomas who passed away in August, and it’s great that a dedicated song is not slow and slushy. This is fast and hard, just like the lyrics and therefore more fitting than a run-of-the-mill ballad would be. This then leads us to the last song, ‘Young Loins’ that is the most gentle song on the album. With acoustic and slide guitars the song is mid-tempo and well arranged. A nice ending to the band’s album.
Musically the band are good but perhaps don’t stand out. However the two areas that the band are very strong in are lyrically, whereby they stand up proud against other great lyricists like Davey MacManus, and sing-along choruses, that make you want to tap your foot and sing-a-long too. This therefore means that as a whole the band are great, and can be forgiven if the chunky riffs sound a bit samey by the end. The band have only been around for just over 18 months, and certainly if this is anything to go by then they have a great future ahead of them. This is an album for lovers of words, of big Punk riffs and angst. So even if you don’t have an issue then you would do worse than get your hands on the Solutions…