Unloco
““Healing””
(Maverick)
This band hails from Texas, but singer Jose Buenas’ voice suggests that Texas is actually a place in Australia. Discovered by Goldfinger, Unloco dispenses a style that’s been getting heavy radio rotation this year. They do it well, with a flavor almost all their own… almost. I’m not going to bother mentioning which bands they sound a like. The list is too long. It’s heavy guitar rock with whisper-to-scream vocals, tight, thrashing rhythms and a few bits of rap (whoa! Big fuckin’’ surprise!). I think we need to come to terms with the fact that rap-rock has become a permanent fixture in music. Expect rap-rock on the next David Hasselhoff German import. There is nothing wrong with a crossover, but when a trendy element is injected into a couple of token songs, the band becomes token. Unloco express no shortage of pure instrumental and songwriting skill. It pains me to trash a good album. This one’s full of great songs like “Face Down,” “Know One” and “Bystander,” but all in all, the word derivative comes to mind. The band’s influences aren’’t simply obvious. Healing almost comes across as a tribute to them. The real killer is that they sound better than most of the bands they emulate.
