Falling Still: May All Magic Guide And Change You

Falling Still: May All Magic Guide And Change You
Akron, OH has most recently been in the news because it is the hometown of LeBron James but Akron has a rich artistic history. The city’s most notable band is probably Devo but The Black Keys, Chrissie Hynde, and Liam Lynch also call Akron home. Falling Still is from Akron. Their debut album, May All Magic Guide And Change You hopes to catapult them to the illustriousness of the other members of the famous Akronites list.
To me it seems like Falling Still is a ways off from reaching that level. The press release describes their sound as “a raucous, booze-soaked tinge on traditional rock” but what that seems to mean is a sloppy Nirvana-rip-off about a decade-and-a-half after that would have been passable.
Some will call that an overly harsh critique but I think it is justifiable. There was something effortless about what Cobain could do, Falling Still seems to be aping that but with mediocre consequences. “Zeus” has that dark moody vibe similar to “Heart Shaped Box” but the ham-handed lyrics derail the track before it has a chance to get rolling. As the minor guitar arpeggios are played, the drums cut in sporadically like the beginning of a Rush song or something. Then the lyrics come in. Lead singer Eric Podnar sings “I found a good reason to go back/to where I’m from”. The line is sung like it is supposed to be profound or a revaluation but it really just sounds awkward.
Unfortunately that is how a lot of the album feels. Tracks on the album should be fun, that’s what I would expect from a band described as “booze-soaked”. Instead the band seems to search for depth and it never quite comes together. Awkward lyrics and banal song structure plagues the album.
I am not a total cynic, I would like to think this is one of those band’s who’s debut album is not very good but will bounce back to make something great of themselves but May All Magic Guide And Change You does not show much promise of that. The album’s best song is “Bench’d” mostly because at just a minute and 50 seconds in length, it is over before it really gets to start. Do not get me wrong the album is not totally unlistenable, it just feels passe and uninspired to me.
Rating: 1.9/10
MP3: Falling Still “Zeus”
Buy: iTunes