Review: Something Corporate

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Something Corporate
‘Leaving Through The Window’
(MCA)

Dramatic as being the new kid on the first day of school.  Pained and sensitive youth gather.  Band geeks unite.  They have a piano AND use strings in a lot of their songs.  Embrace the sweater rock with a subtle sweet pop shot.  It’s got pianos and still qualifies into the alterna/indie-rock sphere.  Lyrics that are incredibly personal and sung quite cleanly (so some will call this emo with a piano), but the keyboard element is really held back often as just another contributing element trying to compete with guitar volumes, and the crisp, up front vocal lines.  ‘Cavanaugh Park’ intros with the exception, and if it wasn’t such a decent song, would be overdone with it’s string section backing piano/vocal intro and sub-verses.  Smashing Pumpkins would be proud.  The band has an excellent grasp on constructing songs that have defined parts and movements, flows and sways of volume that help add the urgency of inclusion the lyrics seem to be so sincerely striving for.  14 songs deep is a large effort when the songs are so crafted.  There is a certain sense of ‘do I care about this guys struggles with chicks?’ even if they are intelligently weaved into warm indie rock songs with a piano.  And a string section that is used more than necessary.  Pretty much all the songs here are first person, to himself, diary-poem auto-biographical confession type lyrics.  Btw, writing about the girls that fucked you/you fucked over, guarantees you plenty of more volunteers to get more lyrics.  The only real standout from the formula is ‘If yoU C Jordan’ which addresses a persistent bully type situation post-high school.  I get the feeling some of the Something Corporate kids got picked on a lot.  Wanna empathize?  Me neither.  ‘If you don’t like being hurt, then don’t stay’ (You’re Gone).  But I gotta give them credit for putting together some good (some kinda annoying) songs, backed by very solid musicianship, dealing with the very typical struggles of growing up a normal suburban kid.