Laymen Terms
“3 Weeks In”
(Suburban Home)
I’m down with the Beatles. They are definitely a cornerstone in music and always will be. What I don’t like is an indie band taking on a haunting Beatles song and butchering it. Laymen Terms sounds good on this EP, if you skip their cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” They fluctuate between piano sprinkles and butt-rock guitar solos so much that I am glad George Harrison isn’t around to see this. It also clocks in at six and half minutes. Congrats on throwing a nod to an influence, but a cover (and a bad one at that) on a four song EP doesn’t show the strength of the songs. Anyone can cover someone else. I would be more impressed by four new songs. The fans of Laymen Terms actually only get two brand new ones here. “Tired Minds” is off “Since Last December” and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard Harrison’s song about the crying guitar.
The two new songs are definitely strong, but they don’t carry the EP. The song length is pretty tiresome also. Three of these four songs clock in over six minutes. There is a time for length and a time for getting to the point. EPs are usually about getting to the point, not creating an epic. Laymen Terms’ earlier albums have seen the critical praise of the ‘usual’ zines, being compared to Alkaline Trio, Thrice, Thursday and even Jawbreaker. I guess they won’t be adding Modern Fix to their critical praise list, but I’d really like to meet the moron who compared these guys to Jawbreaker. Come on, Jawbreaker? Really? Here’s my suggestions, if you want to hear Laymen Terms, go back to their earlier work or wait for the new full length. This four song EP is nothing new and not worth six bucks. The band is good, the EP isn’t. Keep them on your backburner.
