SO THEY SAY “Life In Surveillance”
Life In Surveillance is yet another addition into SO THEY SAY’s bland catalogue of releases. Following an EP and the full-length Antidote For Irony, this eleven-track disc finds the Missouri-based quintet further practicing their signature brand of identity theft. While in the past the band ventured into the territory of any number of contemporary melodic rock/pop bands (notably ARMOR FOR SLEEP and STORY OF THE YEAR), here they seem confused as to whether or not they want to stick with the scene or aim for mainstream rock radio. Tracks like “You’re Welcome,” with its incredibly by-the-book chorus, and the pseudo-heavy “Wake Me Up” confirm this, leaving me wondering if they’re aim is to be the next STORY OF THE YEAR or to follow in the footsteps of the million SEETHERs out there. Granted, the band has a knack for writing numbers that make sense in terms of structure and all that jazz, but there is hardly any variation from song to song, aside from the words. In the closer, “Nuclear Sunrise,” the band begs the listener to “get off [their] ass and start a revolution.” While there is no doubt that SO THEY SAY has taken the initiative to get off their collective asses to do something, the result – their band – is the extreme opposite of revolutionary.
Fearless
