CD Review - Catalyst
Before I began this review, I should mention that I am not a traditional A New Found Glory fan. Their singer’s high-pitched tones and teenage-emotional lyrics seemed very immature and unappealing to me. With that said, one of their later releases, Catalyst, is a CD that everyone should check out and features some of the band’s best work.
One of the big knocks on the band is that their songs sound repetitive and often have no meaning. While the latter may still be true in many of their songs, A New Found Glory exhibits much diversity in their album. “This Disaster” is a song that is up-tempo and works well in video games, where it has been used. Meanwhile “I Don’t Want To Know” is by far the best emotional song done by the band, as the slow pace and exuberant lyrics fit together perfectly.
And the CD continues to produce hits between and after these tracks as well. “All Downhill From Here” is a great song that makes good use of the album’s title. And “Failure’s Not Flattering” is a fun, fast-paced song that contrasts well with some of the earlier tracks on the album.
As a whole this is a good CD. Again, I am not a typical fan of A New Found Glory. The majority of their work grates me and I would prefer not to listen to much of their earlier stuff. But this fulfilled all of my doubts and made me a fan of the band.
Grade - B+ - Still not the best CD because it fits many of the band’s usual styles, but better than their old stuff. Worth checking out.
Filed under: Music Reviews
