This North Carolina band has definitely found its wings with lead singer Mikaela Salazar fronting the band. Mikaela vocal grabs you on the first track, an acoustic rendition of “Better off Alone.” You can tell the band is more than comfortable in the studio, writing catchy hooks and good melodies. The production of each song on the 10 track CD “Zodiac” is interesting and compelling, using hybrids of Pop, Electronic, Dubstep, Modern Rock, and Acoustic genres. While infusing each song with exciting aspects of what is currently happening in Pop music; the band is on to something and it is evident that they are experimenting. The band has very danceable tracks here and tight rhyme accents that not only sound good from a production value but, will pay dividends live! Although, this is Mikaela’s first CD with the band, you can hear they are heading in the right direction. However, I would like to hear here stretch out a little more vocally and get more aggressive on the tracks. Just a little more angst and desperation would go a long way.
The musicianship of all the players is very good. You can hear that they really thought about how each rhythm part should play into the song. As lover alternative music myself, I love it when a band accents parts and punches in transitions. Although, the production value is really good, I feel the record is a little too overly produced for my taste and gets in the way of the emotional performance of the songs. I felt that most of the songs were lacking big riffs, only to be heard on track #9 “The Culprit.” I would have liked to hear more riffs and sonic ear candy from the lead guitarist. Overall, I think the band has got some flair and attitude that will carry them into the next record with even more vigor than this one. My favorite tracks are “Better off Alone” the acoustic version and “The Culprit.” I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing this band live! I’m confident this band must be seen live to truly appreciate!
Falling Through April