The Angry Tides - Corrupt Design

The Angry Tides

Corrupt Design
self-released; 2015

​3.4 out of 5

By Jamie Robash
​

The Angry Tides comprised of Justin Desilva (drums), David Blois (bass/vocals) and Dave Saulnier (guitar/vocals) is on the precipice of becoming a great band. On their release Corrupt Design the band attempts too many styles of rock from a funky, clean ‘70s sound to early ‘80s punk to much more. When they get it right, they get it right and when they don’t it’s off by a couple of degrees.

They start off with “Little JJ is Dead” which I think is the sound this band should be chasing. You can hear elements of bands like The Minutemen, Hüsker Dü and Fugazi. It’s a great blend of what early punk is all about. It’s fun, fast-paced and the vocalist is hyperbolic when he sings. This is a great song and the highlight of the album. The ending even sounds like The Liars

The next song “Hate Season Revival” is a slower blues/rock song that feels absolutely jarring coming after the opener. All the energy and fun of the first song is deflated. The song itself isn't too shabby and when the band does rock out it's only within the last minute.   

The next song “That's the Way She Goes” has some energy and is well written. There are some inspired moments and there is some good energy. “White Girl Wasted” has a clean dance-y Franz Ferdinand vibe but again it feels incongruous with some of the other songs. There are some interesting things they do with the timing. They confuse me even more the band goes almost straight ska on “Three Blind Mice” and into metal/grunge territory with “Sleeping Giants Never Die.”

​This band has a boatload of talent. That’s why it's a shame they have absolutely no idea what type of music they want to play. Every song is basically a different genre and there is almost no cohesiveness on this album. This band desperately needs to sit down at a table with a lot of whiskey and have a healthy discussion about what direction they should go in. Do it - I promise you will be better off in the end.

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