exploremusic

I think a lot of people will really like this band. I’ve thought that since I first saw them live during CMW last year, where I picked up their then new EP, whose four songs now appear on their debut full length, Madness.

The Hamilton band formerly called 40 Sons and Daughters plays alt rock that is immediately accessible. There are cool riffs, cool guitar solos (that don’t go on excessively long) from Mike Szpakowski, strong rhythms, and expressive vocals—Mike Repic sings in an impressive yet controlled way, kind of reminding me of Brandon Boyd of Incubus—and each of the nine songs on the album is memorable.

Some tracks, including "I Have the Gun," "The Only Witness," and "I’d Do It Again," feature pretty dark subject matter, but the effect is nowhere near down or depressing. It’s a trick that seems like it would be hard to pull off to the extent that 40 Sons do it—it’s not a balance of moodiness/edginess and accessibility/catchiness, the songs uncompromisingly exist in both worlds.

While other songs, like "The Weight of the World" and the lead single, "The End," are far from fluff, I can imagine them getting airplay even on very mainstream radio stations—I mean this in a good way.

My first thought after seeing them live again last month was that they haven’t lost their unique voice, but their set now consists almost entirely of songs that could appeal to huge audiences. Madness was produced by Dale Penner, who’s worked with Matthew Good and Nickelback in addition to Holly McNarland and Econoline Crush, and this was a good choice, I think.

It’s nice to see a talented band seeming to be musically reaching their full potential. I think this album is a document of their talent, and 40 Sons are ready to do big things.

Click here to check out the band’s MySpace page, where you can listen to some songs, keep up on tour dates (recommended), and find all the links you need to pick up the album.