blindsider's Full Review: The Autumn Effect by 10 Years
"Change my attempt, good intentions..."
If you're a fan of rock music, odds are you've heard a lot of 10 Years recently--whether you're aware of it or not. Their debut single "Wasteland" has received a hearty amount of play over the past several months, and the band's intelligent, unpretentious brand of alternative rock has frequently been compared with bands like A Perfect Circle and Chevelle. Over the last year or so, 10 Years has exposed their melodic music to thousands upon thousands of people on their tours with the likes of Disturbed and Korn, and I'm quite certain that their rapidly growing fanbase will only continue to multiply over the coming years.
Oddly enough, it took me quite a while to truly get 'into' the band's sound. Initially, I felt comfortable writing them off as just another boring, faceless alternative rock band. But a funny thing soon happened. The more I heard of them, the more I liked it, and after several enthusiastic "Sheila-I-swear-you'll-love-this" recommendations, I couldn't resist picking up The Autumn Effect. It doesn't hurt that it's usually rather cheap ($6-10 at most places), so even if I wound up absolutely hating it, my minimal cash supply wouldn't have suffered too badly at all.
All pseudo-optimism aside, I just knew from the get-go that The Autumn Effect wouldn't be groundbreakingly original. The opening trio of songs confirmed this quickly for me--"Waking Up", a mellow, dreamlike song, gives the band's vocalist Jesse Hasek a chance to show off his powerful range, but if you close your eyes and neglect to look at the album or liner notes, you'd swear it was Maynard & Co. In no way, shape, or form is this a bad thing. It just reinforced my theory that 10 Years had no intention of reinventing the wheel. "Fault Line" keeps things interesting, as it makes good use of rapid tempo changes and dark imagery ("Eyes twitch and lies itch of nervous"). The guitar-heavy, rhythmic "The Recipe", one of the album's most captivating tracks, earns points with me simply because it's hooky, phenomenally arranged, and has much more 'punch' than the two tracks it is preceded by.
But all the rockin' goodness doesn't stop there. First single "Wasteland" is exceptional, managing to be both beautiful and simple at the same time. The swift changes in atmosphere and soft/heavy transitions are executed brilliantly, and Hasek's passionate vocals are downright chilling here, making this song an easy standout. The similarly noteworthy "Half Life" kicks the volume up a notch or two, giving drummer Brian Vodinh a chance to shine. Also enjoyable is "Insects", an eerie track that slowly grows crunchier as the song progresses.
The Autumn Effect is never entirely bad, but one song fails to impact as much as the others. The Chevelle-esque "Cast It Out" starts out promisingly enough, with chuggy-guitars-a-plenty and crashing drums, but ultimately, it's a little too redundant and 'bleh' to truly captivate me.
I must say, though, my purchase of The Autumn Effect is not one I will soon regret. People haven't been labeling 10 Years 'the next big thing' for no good reason. This is a band that made an impressive debut, and I have no doubts that they will continue to progress greatly over the coming years. Those who find themselves in the same position I was in a few months ago--enjoying "Wasteland", but uncertain about the album as a whole--should hesitate no more. The Autumn Effect is an extremely enjoyable album with plenty of excellent offerings to its credit. Fans of any and all types of rock music would benefit greatly by giving 10 Years a second look.
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