Canterbury Effect
“An Exercise in Humility”
(Pluto Records)
Either I’m not a good music reviewer or this couldn’t be more of a rip-off of At the Drive-In if they tried, which I assume they are trying. But rather than succeeding in cloning the ATDI sound, Canterbury Effect come off as a weak college town knock off capable at adeptly handling the local beer hounds at the popular pub, but lacking the dynamic grit to extend themselves beyond the tavern walls.
The album’s production is geared towards an emo crowd just like earlier ATDI albums before Robinson got a hold of them and beefed up the sound to capture the ears of nu-metal audiences. The Robinson treatment could be given to Canterbury Effect, and no doubt, the same results would be achieved, thus catapulting Canterbury Effect onto the charts and garnering them bliss in the safe havens of KROQ and MTVX, but I don’t see the emo/nu-metal crossover working for any band aside from ATDI at this point in time. A shift in popular music away from the whining angst-ridden wailing of nu-metalers is on its way, and the likes of Canterbury Effect won’t have ATDI’s yellow brick road to success to follow anymore since that road will, by that time, lead to nowhere. My advice to Canterbury Effect (since they seem content to mimic): repent and prepare for the return of stripped down rock and roll.
