Popping the new Tooth & Nail sampler I'm Your Biggest Fan into the stereo is, at first, like stumbling on a cool college radio station--lots of little known but very hip, modern bands. The hope of a return to solid, intelligent rock rises. The bands share a common thread--edgy, modern rock ala Nickelback, Lifehouse, and Bleach--but don't sound like carbon copies of each other or other popular radio bands. Standout tracks from Anberlin ("Ready Fuels"), Next In Line ("Bye-Polar") and Names Without Numbers ("Waking From the Coma") make this a worthwhile collection of promising bands; however, the tide turns about half way through the 20 tracks. The songs blend together into a tiresome mix of fast punk, pseudo-metal and Jimmy Eat World / Relient K wannabes.
Bottom line: there is hope of intelligent life, but there is still too much of the "same old, same old."
3 tocks
