Green Day is on the radio, yes…the radio is on and it hasn’t changed the bands its played in about two decades, because before this it was Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam. All these iconic bands bound to forever be footnotes in “Rock & Roll 101” college courses for years to come, but at the end of the day…I can’t be forced to stay confined in a box that only lets the old school in. Those bands are all great, but new bands are like new lands to be discovered. So with that I bring you The American Scene, a band from the northern section of California who will be sharing the road in mid-August with Daybreaker supporting their new album Safe For Now.
Much like the bands mentioned before, there’s good and bad songs in their roster…The same goes with The American Scene. Hitting a brick wall with “Shape Shifter,” it was hard to move on, but I did and found “The View From Here” wasn’t that scenic. It was as if it were missing an extra push of energy and fell flat. The trio of skip ended with “Untitled” though. It just felt like “The Scientist” by Coldplay, which is great if you’re a fan of Chris Martin and Co., but if you like your rock more well…rocking and less VH1, then it’s better that you pass on this one.
Good news is that things start to brighten up after that with the best track, “Used to You.” The American Scene had a number of songs that were either leisurely or lively, but this one was right in the middle doing a balancing act. You can’t escape the melancholy of the vocals, but this song does a damn good job of masking them with spirited music.
Oh, so one song is all this has? Nope. There was a couple more worth mentioning. Ironically enough, it’s a slow one, but this one didn’t mirror Coldplay, “Fifth and Natoma.” Then you have “Just Say It,” a track that’d land them on a tour with Terrible Things or The Dangerous Summer, asking “are you afraid of the end of everything?” To that I say yes and go about my day with that song finding a nice spot on my iPod.
The radio has ceased for now and “Just Say It” is the soundtrack to my morning as I try and drown out the sounds of a nearby airport and the early AM hustle of the 405. Safe For Now is an album I could pick apart, leaving some tracks in my possession and sending others to the land of “recycle bin.” The American Scene seem fit for folks who wait for the latest music (and not drama) from The Dangerous Summer and The Tower And The Fool. So if this is you, get Safe For Now August 7th and check them out on tour come August 15th with Daybreaker.
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