This is the first Taproot album that I have listened to. I am not sure why that is, as this album is pretty good. I remember when their first album came out back in 2000, I had thought about picking it up but never did. I guess it was because there was a lot of non-descript nu-metal type of bands coming out and I wasn't giving many of them a shot. Well, that is changing now. I don't think this album will win me over as a big fan, but now I know not to write them off.
Blue Sky Research is a nice blend of catchy rhythms, heavy riffs, melodic singing, all wrapped in a radio friendly package. That isn't a knock on the band, they have a good middle of the road sound. A sound that is more mature than I would have expected. My tastes tend to run a little bit heavier than this, but this does succeed in trapping me within its catchiness.
The album's opening track is great. "I Will Not Fall for You" opens with a few deceptively heavy chords before breaking down into something more melodic and soft, before delivering a blast for the chorus. This is followed by "Violent Seas" which is vaguely reminiscent of Foo Fighters, I'm not sure why, but the opening just strikes me like that and I can't shake it. It is an evenly paced melodic rocker that has a nice flow.
"Birthday" features some very nice singing, clean, melodic, and emotional. This is a surprisingly touching song seeking more time. The aptly titled "Facepeeler" seems intent to do just that, it has a foreboding opening which hides the aggression seething beneath it. It has it's mellow moments, to be sure, but it has a mean streak that that just won't be denied.
"Calling" is probably my favorite song on the disk. It has this groove which just envelopes you and builds up to the "C-C-C-Calling!" I love that, and then right back into the morose melody.
I'm not going to take you song by song, this is a journey that you should take yourself. I am not sure this would fall under the dreaded (at least to me) emo-rock category, but there is clearly a lot of feelings behind their music. It is immediate and intricate, mellow and heavy, melodic with moments of dissonance that fits well. Kind of like a glove. I had a bit of a been there done that feeling during my initial listen, and still don't think that I have heard anything groundbreaking. At the same time, I couldn't help but get sucked in by their apparent ability. Maybe that is the secret behind Taproot, to sneak up on you and get stuck inside your head.
Again, I am not familiar with their past work but do not think that is detrimental to tackling a listen of their latest. This may have been the right time to jump aboard and discover a mature sound that still has a bit of that raw intimacy of youth tucked away to the side just waiting to be discovered.
Bottomline. This is a good album, deeper than I expected, but not what I hoped. My tastes do tend to stray away from the mainstream, but I can be brought back by the right act. Taproot has a lot of talent and they mix up their sound with the heavy and the mellow. I can imagine how they must be live. This is an album I would recommend to fans, or newcomers like me alike to jump aboard.
Recommended.
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