Remy Zero: Somebody Please Save Me
Oct 16 '02
Pros
Glorious #1, The Golden Hum, Out/In and a few others....
Cons
Remy Zero is unoriginal and uninspired on the whole...
The Bottom Line
Maybe appealing to fans of Third Eye Blind, Matchbox Twenty, and the like, The Golden Hum by Remy Zero is otherwise forgettable.
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Remy Zero can’t get a break. Their albums always earn mixed reviews, so I decided to check the Alabama-based band out for myself. I hoped for something of some interest to come out of my listening, but found that in all Remy Zero is an unfortunately underwhelming band.
Hailing from Birmingham, the quintet came together after a lifetime of friendship. The alternative rock band consists of Cinjun Tate (vocals), Shelby Tate (guitar), Jeffrey Cain (guitar), Cedric LeMoyne (bass), and Gregory Slay (drums). Nothing about their sound is original, but Remy Zero continues to make gallant attempts at recording a decent album.
Their first, 1996’s eponymous debut, was of average quality. Riding the wave of successful post grunge acts, Remy Zero created a somewhat experimental though mostly monotonous soundscape. Little from the album ever escaped on to mainstream (or for that matter college) radio. To date, this album ranks as one of the better of three releases from the band.
Two years later, Remy Zero again tried to come up with something worth saying on Villa Elaine. Alas, success was not to be had. The band’s none-too-anticipated return found little support from critics and fans. Dropping their post-grunge edge, the band tried in vain to become some sort of American version of Radiohead. Needless to say, the results were something akin to laughable. They stretched toward no boundaries, tried nothing new, and in the end failed miserably at making any impact in the music industry…again.
Props to Remy Zero for giving it another go after two relatively humiliating failures. The Golden Hum was unleashed in September 2001. Rather than channeling Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Cinjun Tate instead works really hard to become Bono (U2) in most songs. This attempt is more successful than on past albums, but still little of note (good or bad) can be said about this release. The music is decently executed, the lyrics competently sung. The problem is that there doesn’t seem to be much emotion or vision to bind the songs together.
With all the general nastiness out of the way, I want to point out that there are a few decent tracks…songs that are at least interesting enough to listen to though not quite good enough to add to a mix CD. Glorious #1 smacks of easy, bluesy rock and roll blended with some post-grunge. I can appreciate the low, almost depressing feel of the track. As one of the album’s better tracks though, it seems to be lacking any feeling or soul.
Another decently entertaining track is Out/In, a song aurally similar to sound-alike bands like Matchbox Twenty (or whatever they call themselves now) and Third Eye Blind. Like these other two similar bands, the song here is entertaining and catchy but lacks substance and that extra special glimmer that makes for a timeless track. I’m kind of shocked that Out/In didn’t get more mainstream pop-rock airplay because of the obvious comparisons.
The title track, The Golden Hum is also a somewhat entertaining rocker. As the album’s opening song, one could have hoped for something more out of the ten tracks that followed. This is the album’s most obvious choice for best track. I’m immediately drawn in by the layered nontraditional percussion and strings, and by the time the acoustic guitar is added to the mix, The Golden Hum is firmly planted in my soul. So yeah, I really do enjoy this song and it’s many nuances. It takes until the very end for this instrumental to even hint toward full frontal rock. A great song…unfortunately for Remy Zero, Cinjun’s voice is nowhere to be found.
Over the Rails and Hollywood High is the final worth exploring. The melodic guitars sound a bit too much like The Edge to not make a comparison. The same can be said for Cinjun’s Bono-esque delivery. It’s unfortunate that Remy Zero couldn’t create this song using their own kind of music (whatever that might be…) because it isn’t a horrible track. It’s got a lovely chorus, melody, and easy to appreciate vocals. It’s just not “them.”
A few other songs are fine but further highlight the issues I’ve spoken about. These tracks, Bitter, Perfect Memory, and Smile have some point but just fade into oblivion the moment that the last note of the song rings. Also, a quick mention to Save Me, the highly recognizable theme from WB’s Smallville. Remy Zero is a faceless, absolutely forgettable band. If they could just create something that people could musically attribute to them, I really would enjoy listening to future albums.
The Golden Hum is boring. Nothing more can be said. I’ll give Remy Zero the benefit of the doubt here and round 2.5/5 stars up. But I can’t recommend this third release from the band to anybody. It’s highly forgettable and earns my stamp of disapproval.
On a more positive note, my sister hung out with the band in England (they toured with Travis) for two evenings. She said, “They are really nice guys…it’s just too bad there music stinks.” I think that statement pretty much sums up how I feel about this album and Remy Zero on the whole.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. The Golden Hum
02. Glorious #1
03. Out/In
04. Bitter
05. Perfect Memory
06. Save Me
07. Belong
08. Over the Rails and Hollywood High
09. Smile
10. I’m Not Afraid
11. Impossibility
Recommended:
No
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