2008 Woodie Awards
Chevelle done in by fame
Lark Rissetto
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: Arts
In today's class we shall learn the parts that make up a radio rock record.
First take a generic guitar riff and combine with equally generic bass line.
Step two; add heavy double bass pedal drum work. Step three; use vocal lines that switch from screams to melody.
Step four; write lyrics that contain little imagination and just rhyme well together. The final step; get a big shot producer and land on a huge label.
In short, class, the band to use for the model is the brotherly trio Chevelle. The once intriguing band from Chicago released their third record, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) on Sept. 21 and the product is disappointing.
A huge step away from their first record Point #1, This Type of Thinking is but a mere extension of Chevelle's sophomore record Wonder What's Next. Filled with simple radio rock tunes, the record falls short of what the band is capable.
Point #1 expressed true artistry both musically and vocally for the band. It was a raw and clean record that screamed ingenuity during a time of mall metal fads in suburban America.
It went back to the basics where drums sounded like drums and not synthesized beats in a studio. Where vocals could be vulnerable and still grab the listener by the throat.
This Type of Thinking is quite simply just a record that was created for platinum success and no other reason. The first single off the record, "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)," bores to tears and is only fit for an action movie soundtrack. Vocalist and guitar player Pete Loeffler seems to of lost his touch, perhaps it is because he allowed the success of Wonder What's Next get to his head.
He is capable of so much more and it is sad to see such a talent fall victim to fame. Instead of allowing his delicate vocals dominant and compliment the music, he screams like a banshee throughout the record.
The only time he does show signs of his old taste is on track six, "Panic Prone." The song is a sweet melodic break from the rest of the record's monotonous dribble.