Record Label: Popboomerang Records
Genre: Pop
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

A piano-ballad prelude to an album is somewhat cliched, but they’re usually about 10 seconds long, so I can endure it. Grand Atlantic’s prelude, called “Prelude,” is almost four minutes long. If I have to wait four minutes to hear a ROCK band ROCK OUT, it damn well better be Rush and there damn well better be woodblocks and wind chimes.

Grand Atlantic does indeed play rock (and not piano ballads), but rather than the feel-good Aussie power pop you can expect from Popboomerang bands, GA has a softer, more shoegazing alternarock sound. Sure, it’s a fine line between guitar pop and alternarock and even my steel-trap of a mind couldn’t explain it to you. But all I know is that instead of bopping around happily, I felt lethargic and sulky.

The album does have some nice flourishes, but nothing to improve their rockitude. For instance, the bombastic orchestral intro to the ballady “Wonderful Tragedy,” the strings on “Take You For Granted,” the handclaps and “My Sharona” rhythm on “Moth & Rust,” or the soft “woooo-ing” on “Until It’s Gone.”

I guess I just have to accept that they’re not about ROCKING OUT. Why they’re not is anyone’s guess. But they play pretty, sometimes depressing, airy pop rock, and you will have no worries of your mom yelling at you to turn it down. Unless she has good taste in music.

Bottom Line: Shoegazing pop that restrains its ROCK.
Notable Tracks: Moth & Rust
Overall Rating: