The Unimpeachable E.P.
Independent release, 2005
http://myspace.com/thealphabeticalorder
REVIEW BY: Jeff Clutterbuck
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 11/11/2005
Maybe it's the fact that it gets darker outside earlier these days. Maybe it's the cold that is slowly infiltrating into my home state of Wisconsin. Maybe it's just that whole "fall attitude," but around this time of year I feel "meh." (Just think, my generation can sum up our emotional angst and problems in one word). That feeling has carried over to this E.P from The Alphabetical Order.
Let's dig deeper into the definition of "meh." It is often attributed to a feeling of apathy, evoking no real strong emotions. This perfectly encapsulates this E.P. It is neither the best piece of music I've heard, nor is it the worst. It falls right in the middle.
The musicians of The Alphabetical Order are not incompetent. They can actually play, and show it fairly often throughout the disc. I appreciated the Van Halen "guitar tapping" method employed on "Stepping Stone." The most driving song on the E.P, "Stone" takes the title of best track, and at two and a half minutes does not wear out its welcome.
"Super Lonely" spots some fluid guitar work from Gavin Dunaway, as well as exhibiting some damn good vocals. Flexibility within a band is always a good thing; Dunaway is ability to shift from his metal voice on "Stepping Stone" to a more polished, smooth vocal on "Super Lonely," which impressed me.
There are moments on The Unimpechable E.P. that catch the attention, but there just aren't enough of them. As the songs played, I swore I had heard them before. Does this mean the band has no ingenuity at all? I doubt it, and as I said there are moments to be found. Experimenting with their sound might be a good road for the The Alphabetical Order to go down. For example, throwing in some keyboard on "Krakow Krakow" was a great choice; you don't expect it. Bold strokes like this could go a long way.
Unfortunately, things completely fall apart with the very last song, "Self Hatred." My word of advice to the band: keep things short. While every other song on the E.P. clocks in under five minutes, "Self Hatred" lingers on for seven and a half. This is too long a song for this style of rock. The early minutes gathered up some momentum, but it was lost by the end.
The Alphabetical Order has talent, and I'm sure it will come to fruition. For now, however, they aren't there yet.