The Break Mission: Alpha
Last June, The Break Mission released Alpha. The 13 tracks on the album give a glimpse into the band. For the most part, the album is indie rock. Not much about it stands out, but there are tracks that touch on the folksy rock and pull back the curtain to reveal a band that deserves a fair listen.
The first two tracks are rather bland; there’s nothing about them that makes them discernible from other indie rock acts. The track “Son” changes that. The acoustic guitar gives it a folksy feel and a more intimate aura. A piano joins the mix and chimes are used which give the song a compelling melody that the previous tracks lacked. The first two tracks were the band waving at you across the street in an attempt to get your attention; “Son” is them walking over, shaking your hand, and introducing themselves pleasantly.
From then on the album continually shifts between the electric indie style rock and the acoustic folksy rock. For the most part, the acoustic tracks sounded better to my ear and make them stand out. Still, The Break Mission were able to use electric guitars to some effect. On the track “Words,” they lightened up a bit in the intro, but repeatedly brought in heavier segments especially with the bass guitar. The mix between alternative rock and pop work extremely well together.
Alpha portrays The Break Mission as something between Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes. On the one hand, you have more of the indie rock where I feel they are stale and lack any original signature; on the other hand, you have more a folk feel where they hold their own. This gives two fan groups a chance to get into the band, and some might like both aspects
rather than just the one. For me, there wasn’t enough of what I like about the band and that left me feeling Alpha was just average.
Rating: 5.6/10
MP3: The Break Mission “Alpha”
Buy: iTunes or Amazon
The Break Mission: Alpha
