Absentstar: Sea Trials Review

There are some albums out there which are so difficult to review. Absentstar’s Sea Trials fits the category. It sounds extremely generic-- just like something you would hear from any of the big pop rock acts of today. This puts me in a tough position, I love to jump on bands who don’t sound original, yet this album sounds way too good to slam.

It is one of those feel good albums that has you singing along from the minute you hear it, despite never actually listening to the songs before. Everything sounds familiar, and the choruses are immediately ingrained into the listeners head. There are no elaborate song structures here, it’s straight up, fit the mold rock, that is predictable on practically every level. Somehow, through all the predictability and unoriginality I find myself taken back by this album. Some of the songs have a slight edge, but not edgy to the point where they cannot be played on mainstream stations. Some songs like "Give In to Me" are even a little bit spacey, sounding they could have been pulled from 30 Seconds to Mars’ debut album (before they went emo.) In the end, I feel like the most fitting comparison for Absentstar would be a modern day Bon Jovi, and that comparison is mostly due in part to the very impressive vocal talents of Derek Ingersoll.

Absentstar’s Sea Trials is hardly breaking any new territory, but effectively sets out on what it is supposed to do-- which is to execute on all things which make pop rock successful, from the catchy choruses to the smooth interplay of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Will Absentstar be the next big thing? Well there is certainly nothing holding them back from being bigger than pop rock bands like Coldplay and Nickleback, besides a God awful album cover.

Grade: B