Review: The Feelings Mutual - s/t

Label: Ares Records

Released: June 24, 2008

The Feelings Mutual take off where 90s alt rock left off, adding some hard rock riffs to hints of both darkness and pop gloss around each turn. They open with the riff-heavy rock of "Monolith," but quickly scale that back into slower guitar-driven pop. At times they hint at Queens of the Stone Age, but lack Josh Homme's ability to find that intersection of heaviness, quirkiness and catchiness. "Black Cloud Dream" captures Nirvana's dark pop sense, but the chorus is glossier than even Cobain would have been willing to try. "Ring Me Out" even dabbles in the drunk rock swagger of the Replacements. The EP finishes strong with the 80s hooks of "Sleep," but overall it's hard not to think of the bands The Feelings Mutual sounds like rather than concentrating on what they're doing now. The songs are listenable, but simply not distinguishable from the successes of their influences.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 5/10
Overall: 5/10

Website

Myspace

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.