Insight & Critique
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

For The Love - Across The Board

1/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
For The Love

​Across The Board
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​
Rob Cook (guitar/vocals), Joel Molloy (drums), Sean Morphet (lead guitar) and Jason Hamilton (bass) are For The Love. They state on their Bandcamp page that Across The Board was the literal name they could come up with since the band goes from genre to genre. I have to say I agree with their assessment. 

Apparently the band played a lot of covers and I’ve seen time and time again that transition to original material can be disparate. Cover bands are used to playing a lot of styles and that tendency can also easily cross over to original material.

The material varies from acoustic rock to Everlast style hip-hop to country and more. In all honesty it sounds like a compilation of different bands. Either way the music will resonate more in the mainstream than the underground. There were some styles I thought the band pulled off quite well while others I wasn't feeling as much.

“The Beginning” is the first track, which revolves around atmospheric music and rapping. The song actually transitions to pop/rock at some point. Up next is “Daddy Didn't Hug Her” which is somewhere between O.A.R. and Dave Matthews Band. It’s anthemic and probably a crowd favorite when they play live.

For “Hit Me Again” the singer put on his best deep Eddie Vedder voice while “Simple Math” has a smooth, slick summertime vibe. The next track “Jammin” is a funky track with Santana-esque leads and more rapping. If you think the band is done testing genres then you're wrong. “T-a-wanna Midnights” has a lone soldier, desert thing going where the singing style comes close to talking during the verse. Unfortunately, the band’s best song is also their shortest. “Growing Up” is a sing-along bluegrass style song that works for them. The vocals not only sound less contrived but the lyrics are memorable. On top of that the string work is good. They close with “For The Love” which is an outro and happens to sound like a watered down Kid Rock song when he was doing his country thing. 

The main issue with this type of album that crosses so many genres is that it's pretty unlikely that a listener will appreciate every song and style. It’s possible but you very rarely hear of compilation albums making people's top ten. The other issue is that it also doesn’t build a foundation for the band or give us an idea of what might be on their next release.

​All that being said there are some songs that work really well on their own. It all comes down to personal preference of what style and genre you prefer. I would take a listen to not one but many of the songs to see if they are up your alley.
Become A Fan
Tweet
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.

    Tweets by divideanconqer
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter
Book Your Band

© Divide and Conquer 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact