Tonight & Tomorrow

Four Star Riot

Vital Records, 2005

http://www.fourstarriot.com

REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/03/2004

The term "power pop" has gotten a bad rap over the years. Some people just insist on seeing it as a negative thing when a guitar band balances fat riffs and scorching solos with an ear for melody and choruses that stick in your head.

Personally, I've never understood that kind of thinking… and neither has Four Star Riot. This Tampa, Florida quartet's twin-guitar attack harnesses throbbing rock and roll energy to craftsmanlike pop structure and produces all kinds of sparks on my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Tonight & Tomorrow.

Take the track "Tell Me Tomorrow" -- it may have a sing-along chorus right out of a 1981 Journey single, but Mike Chilton's thrashing drums and Steve Alex's desperate wail of a lead vocal give the song an appealing edge. Rounding out FSR's tight, potent lineup are Johnny Deliz on bass and Finn Walling (who also recorded and mixed this disc) on guitar and vocals.

On the terrific "Punchdrunk," they mix a Gin Blossoms-y chorus full of turbo-charged guitar with turned-down, almost reggae verses, building steadily to a furious finish. "Ready & Waiting" has the same kind of combustibility, easing off on the verses before exploding into the choruses. On the softer side are the nicely building (let's not call them power ballads, 'kay?) mid-tempo tracks "They All Want U" and "Beautiful Soul."

The disc does peter out a bit in the fourth quarter -- "Love Counterfeit" and "There It Goes" burn brightly on the musical end but suffer from forgettable lyrics. Fortunately, the disc finishes on an up note with the appealing "Golden Age," another steady-building number.

Tonight & Tomorrow is Four Star Riot's third self-released disc. The band has been hailed by local radio and national music magazines and played a showcase at this year's South By Southwest convention. They're on the cusp, in other words; they just need that one big break. This disc of high-energy power pop will surely help their case.

[Editor's Note: Tonight & Tomorrow is available online for the extremely reasonable price of just $6.99 if you visit the band at www.fourstarriot.com]

Rating: B

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2004 Jason Warburg and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Vital Records, and is used for informational purposes only.