It’s Probably On The Radio Right Now…

Contrived, derivative and perhaps a bit too formulaic at times. These are just a few adjectives to describe Crossfade’s self-titled major label debut. Simplistic, crunchy and for the most part basic guitar chords mixed with all too common lyrics compose a majority of the musical backdrop from which the Crossfade is now famous for. But all elitist standards and nuances aside, this album is damn catchy.Something happens when a rock band spawns a top forty pop radio single – and that track is included in the now infamous Now That’s What I Call Music series, also viewed as the advent of the apocalypse for some (as far as music is concerned.) Thus sets the royalty filled stage for “Cold”, a rock song with a played-on-every-radio-station-a-bajillion-times sound that we all love but never admit to actually liking. Still the fact remains, Crossfade’s self-titled debut is concocted with catchy hooks that pervade even the most discerning ears of rock critics. You know a band is at the top of the mainstream rock scene when they can sing a lyric saying “the colors that you’re shining” and still make it sound reasonably cool.

No, it’s not the second coming of Led Zeppelin, nor will it revolutionize the way we view music in years to come. It’s mainstream rock pure and simple, including every limiting (and positive) factor that genre encompasses. So when you’re ready for a break from worshipping the newest Radiohead album, why not let songs like “The Deep End” remind you how refreshing a simple, catchy hook can be.