Making a stew seasoned with a little bit of ABBA (yes, that "Dancing Queen" band, whom I love dearly), Garbage, Sarah McLachlan, and the dearly departed Chasing Furies, SCSI has a finger on the pulse of alt-rock. Infused with rock guitar, keyboards, drum loops, programming, and Sharon McFeeter's plaintive alto vocals.
"Better Than This" kicks things off with a very Shirley Manson-esque vibe. The title track, "Crave," stands out with fat harmonies, (this would be the ABBA component mentioned earlier) dabs of electronica, and a quasi-industrial beat. Several of the songs have a much more stripped down, moody feel, with just a hint of a drum loop, or a quavering acoustic guitar. The songs "Grace in You," and "Somedays" are strong pieces of music that evoke an allusive melancholy. "Looks Like Me" is unfortunately too repetitive, and just doesn't have quite the same quality level as the other songs. "Be the One" rounds out the album nicely on a worshipful note, that is definitely reminiscent of Sarah McLachlan.
While it is perfectly acceptable to have some faster and some slower songs, it seems a bit schizophrenic on this particular project to jump back and forth so much between the heavy electronic rock influences and the pared down acoustic sound. Overall, the better songs on this album carry us past the less memorable tunes, and Sharon's voice gives it an extra notch of panache.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by James StewartSeemingly taking their cue from Garbage for this mix of electronica and rock, Ireland's SCSI have come a long way from their origins as the band December Blue. With production assistance from Californians Tim and Carla White, the band have made a strong sounding debut. The reference point of Garbage is an important one, with the opener "Better Than This" particularly purveying that influence and…
