Noise Ratchet is a 5-piece rock band based in San Diego California. Look for the band on tour in the spring/summer with Cool Hand Luke. They will also be playing the Decapolis Stage at this year's Cornerstone Festival. "Till We Have Faces" is set to release on April 2nd.
The new kings of the "soft-then-loud" are here! Now let me just say while being a fan of their live performances I've never really cared for previous recordings from this San Diego quintet. This release definitely changed that. First off the production is impeccable. You can hear everything crystal clear and the vocals sit well in the mix. The tones are lush and full. I'm also a sucker for that Fender Jazz bass tone as well. The disc starts off with the perfect choice for an opening track. "Permanent Solution" begins with some staccato riffing before flowing into the strong melody and harmony present in the chorus. Almost as soon as the song has kicked in you hear the staccato riffing again and the sound of tape deteriorating ending the song. It's been done before, but it works nicely here. Other highlights for me on this long player were "For You I'll Be Forgetting Me", "Disappear" (with some tasty hardcore-ish backing vocals) and "Wardrobe". With repeated listens, I found myself getting all the remaining tracks in my head as well. One thing I really enjoy about this album is the lyrical content. Often focusing on the spiritual and not your typical brokenhearted/failed relationship fare, Joel Hosler's vocals are uplifting and even comforting at times (see "Wardrobe"). The only negative things I would have to say about 'Till We Have Faces' are that some songs seem to kinda drag on and Hosler ends a lot of phrases with an "oh-uh-oh" decay on his vocals. Noise Ratchet's sound may not be entirely original, but the band does an excellent job overall at their craft. This is a solid release, and like I said before, is the first Noise Ratchet recording I thoroughly enjoy and listen to repeatedly. I would recommend this for fans of Thursday, Stavesacre, and maybe even Falling Forward or the Cure.
B-
