Vertical Horizon has produced outstanding music in the past. Their single, “Everything You Want,” reached #1 on Billboard charts in 2000, and the song was played on every radio station at least a few times a day for months.
Even before “Everything You Want” came out, albums such as “Running On Ice” showed founders’ Matt Scannell and Keith Kane’s raw talent as musicians and singer/songwriters, producing songs such as “The Man Who Would Be Santa,” “Heart in Hand,” and “On The Sea.”
If you haven’t heard of these songs, I heavily suggest you do so before listening to their new album, “Burning the Days,” released this past Tuesday. Otherwise, you might think the band was “good,” instead of “spectacular.” That said, “Burning the Days” is definitely an album worth listening to (and waiting for- there have been six years between this album and the last and probably least of their six albums, Go, released in 2003).
The album starts with “All is Said and Done.” The song starts with congo-like drums that are reminiscent of something Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins might mix into the song. The song is one that gets stuck in the listener’s head very easily, because like former hits “Everything You Want” and “You’re A God,” it’s just so darn catchy. Such is the case with most of the songs on this album, to the point that it almost becomes oppressive.
Almost any song on this album could be a radio-friendly single. However, the band has chosen to release track five, “Save Me From Myself” as the first single off of “Burning the Days.” A rarity in the music industry (even “Everything You Want” pales next to songs like “We Are” and “Shackled,” both from the same album), “Save Me From Myself” is probably the best song on the album. It is one of the songs where the listener can best hear the raw, alternative-rock style of the full band, boasting slightly less production, clear harmonies in the chorus, and a killer instrumental bridge that’s probably amazing live.
Other notable songs are “Welcome to the Bottom,” a somewhat-cynical song with a terrific guitar solo towards the end, and the softer, sweeter “Even Now,” written by Matt Scannell of VH and Neil Peart of Rush, who also plays drums on several tracks.
The album only suffers in two ways. First is the lack of presence of Keith Kane, cofounder of the band. When the band was mainly an acoustic duo, Kane and Scannell mainly split songwriting and lead singer/guitarist duties. As a result, earlier albums had a lot more variety within them. On “Burning the Days,” Scannell is the only songwriter and guitarist, and Kane is only credited as performing “harmony vocals,” many of which are difficult to tell whether they are sung by Kane or Scannell himself (who is also credited with harmony vocals). As such, the album suffers a bit without Keith Kane’s style balancing out Matt Scannell’s.
The other way the album suffers is that in places, it appears to be a little over-produced. The songs are sometimes just a bit too smooth. This is a band with tremendous musical talent, which can be heard, but it would be much easier to hear without the overproduction. Because of this, while older fans will be able to love and appreciate “Burning the Days,” new fans would be better off listening to “Everything You Want” or “Running On Ice,” (or better yet, hearing them live- they give a spectacular live show) before giving this new album a try. Grade: B+
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