A Static Lullaby A Static Lullaby

A Static Lullaby found themselves catapulted into the limelight in 2003 with the release of their debut album on Ferret Music. After that record's success, they signed to a major and released an album that didn't quite perform to Columbia's standards. This sort of quick rise to fame and subsequent fall from grace can take its toll on a band and in A Static Lullaby's case, the price paid was the departure of three founding members. With a retooled lineup that features Jarrod Alexander (Death By Stereo, The Suicide File), A Static Lullaby have resurfaced in 2006 on Fearless Records with an album that most likely would have been a smash hit even a year ago. This eponymous release is a streamlined slab of pop-metalcore that wastes no time establishing its unrelenting pattern of decent riffing, great vocal hooks and top-notch percussion. Provided that you don't possess some deep-seated loathing for all things melodic, it's highly likely that at least a handful of the tracks on this album will have a strong appeal. "Hang 'Em High" is as solid a song as the genre has produced lately. "The Art of Sharing Lovers" is another immediate standout. There's not a ton of complexity here to wrap your head around, but the tracks possess an inherent likability that many more experimental or progressive acts can't seem to get a handle on. There are, of course, a couple of moments that cross the line into pure cheese, ("The Collision," "Eager Cannibals") but for the most part the rhythm section carries these tunes when vocalist Joe Brown can't. The production this time around is handled by Steve Evetts who engineered the band's Ferret debut, so the album sound understandably similar at times to that record. Bottom Line: While I generally like to keep my pop melodies separate from my metal, A Static Lullaby's latest album makes it abundantly clear how the group wound up on a major in the first place: Of the bands out there doing this, these guys are among the best. Fans of the band's first album will most likely be pleased with the general return to form here and open-minded music fans with a penchant for a catchy pop-punkish tune should find quite a bit to like here.